Rio: A nation divided
by Ripso
Summary: Three centuries before European men ever set foot on the South American continent, the largest tribe of blue macaws was split by a devastating natural disaster, both sides believing the other perished. Now as the human loggers force Eduardo's tribe to flee towards uncharted territory, the flock meets 'familiar' faces. But what if they have a different view on certain things?
1. Trouble at the border Part 1

**Rio: A nation divided**

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**The writer**

Welcome once again fellow readers and authors. I would like to thank you for taking interest and time on my work. Reviews are not demanded but always appreciated, as they give me conclusive feedback. Update schedule is still none existent, and the word count per chapter to expect is between 3k to 5k. Enjoy!

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**The story**

No spaceships or aliens in this one. After re-watching Rio 2, I realized a pattern the creators hid in the film. Or I'm just delusional, but whichever it is, I thought it might be worth story material. The setting is an alternate universe where the Spix's macaw tribe was split in two by a natural disaster, and both gave up on finding the other, declaring each other dead. One of these tribes will be the canonical tribe of Jewel and Eduardo. The other will be home to Blu, who lived out a normal 'wild' bird's life. Rated T for safety. Minor swearing or blood may be present.

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**Chapter 1**

Trouble at the border Part 1

**Disclaimer**

_I do not own Rio._

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The sun slowly rose above the horizon, the rays illuminating the dark sky above the rain forest. The millions of sparkling stars were soon drowned out by the intense light, giving way towards a new day. The sun's rays penetrated the jungle canopy, slowly but steadily waking up the animals. In return, they filled up the air with chatter and other noises. Near a giant brazil nut grove, a rather large flock of an endangered species started to stir.

A female Spix's macaw woke up from her peaceful slumber, opening her eyes slowly as they got used to the intense light coming from outside the hollow's entrance. She slowly rose up from her nest and walked towards the entrance, glancing towards the forest before her. Dozens of birds walked on the branch in front of their entrances, before leaping in the air to begin their day.

The young lady launched herself in the air and headed towards the center of their tribe. Along the way she was and greeted many birds. Several minutes later she arrived at a large central tree, landing on the thickest branch. Two macaws stood guard at the entrance, but as soon as they saw who it was, they moved aside, allowing her to go through.

"I want the night patrol to start earlier today. According to some witnesses the scarlets were inside our border, again. If they are doing it, I want them caught red handed so I can speak with Felipe." A deep and rough voice echoed inside the giant tree hollow, as the female continued to walk towards her destination.

A couple of confirms like "Yes sir." and "Understood." followed soon after. She finally got around one of the corners and spotted the bird.

He was none other than the Spix's macaw tribe's current and long lived leader, Eduardo. He appeared to have a frown on his face, occupied by his work of leading a flock of several hundred birds. His facial expression changed instantly once he saw the person standing in front of him.

"Jewel! How are you doing?" He walked over and hugged her daughter, forgetting about his problems for a moment. After they parted away, she greeted her father back.

"I'm fine dad. Just woke up not too long ago… I heard you are sending out the patrol earlier today?" She had a slight tone of worry in her voice after listening to the way his father spoke. He just sighted, because no matter how hard he tried the women in his life just always managed to see through his lies. His mate, his sister and daughter in particular.

"Yes. Someone said they saw scarlets again. Someone trustworthy. This is the seventh time this month. Felipe is young and reckless, but I will not allow reds disrespecting our borders."

"I will be dispatching Roberto as well as Melisa and Esteban." This caught Jewel by surprise. _Beto, __Mel__ and Esteban? That's the three best we got._ She thought to herself, trying to formulate a sentence to question the decision without giving it away. Her dad was the most loving father in the world, but he didn't like it when people questioned him too much.

"The three best just on the scarlet border?" She asked her father with a surprised tone and a raised eye.

"Yes. We cannot allow ourselves to not respond. They will think we are weak and try much more invasive stunts." His father explained his reasoning, satisfying Jewel's curiosity. She then realized this was a perfect opportunity to pressure his father about her intentions.

"Dad. If you need the best you should also send me with them. We work really well in a team." Eduardo just shook his head slowly, sighing. This was not the first time she requested to be a part of the border patrol.

"Jewel. Listen to me. I can't allow you to take on border duties. You are my daughter. Do you know how much bargaining power someone gets if they capture you? I love you more than anything in this world and I couldn't stand the thought of losing you." He placed a wing on the young female's shoulder, bringing her closer for another hug. She accepted her parent's embrace but was still annoyed.

"But you saw me train and brawl. I can handle myself. I even managed to beat Beto… Besides, I'm not a kid anymore." She pointed out the facts but her father ignored them, still keeping his stance on the position. He did laugh quietly, listening to his daughter's rambling.

"Sometimes I wonder just what you got from me and what from your mother…" He removed his wing and walked towards a small entrance, glancing outside towards the heart of the tribe. Spix's macaws were flying in all directions. This place was truly paradise for them, a safe haven in a cruel and unforgiving world.

"People keep saying I got my looks from mom. But I definitely got my stubbornness from you." Jewel walked over next to her father as she observed the sight before her. She was ready to drop the topic though, seeing how much pressure he is under. Ever since her mother died, her father had to manage the tribe all by himself. Sure, aunt Mimi was there as his sister to help, but it was not the same ever since.

"Alright… I'll send you with the patrol if that is what you truly want." He spoke up, turning towards his daughter who had the biggest shock on her face he ever saw.

"Are you serious?" Jewel exclaimed with excitement, observing her father's expression for hints of lying or misleading. She found none, but found his quick change of stance weird.

"But on one condition. If you speak to the trio and they say your presence will help them a lot." _There it __is__._ She thought to herself, but after thinking about it, it was not exactly a bad condition. It definitely made sense, she smiled knowing the team's response already.

Although Eduardo never allowed Jewel to go on actual patrols, she received training like everyone else in the tribe. It also happens to be that Roberto, Melisa and Esteban was part of her close friend group. This meant they trained together and worked as one. No way will they decline this opportunity. "Deal." She accepted the offer, and seconds later left the hollow to find the group in question.

The three blue macaws were sitting on a branch, overlooking most of the tribe from a very high tree. This was a group favorite ever since they were chicks. Jewel flew over and made a few circles around the giant canopy, trying to find the birds. After the second flyby, she managed to locate them and waved. The action was soon reciprocated as a female saw her and got the attention of the others.

"Hey Ju-ju!" Roberto called out, raising his right wing in a wave gesture. Moments later she landed and greeted the group, who were happy to see her.

"I got big news!" She announced.

"Oooh. Is there a boy involved?" The female blue macaw with dark feathers and brown eyes asked, attempting to tease Jewel. She was not so easily picked on, so she was able to answer with a straight face.

"No, Melisa… I spoke to dad about this new patrol and he let me join!" Jewel exclaimed happily, causing the rest of the group to cheer with surprise.

"No way! Eduardo let you join us? That is cool!" A male with a slightly darker shade of blue than Roberto with emerald green eyes spoke up, excited about the turn of events.

"I know Esteban. But there is one condition though..." She let her voice trail off, causing Roberto to raise and eye at the statement. _What could E__ddie ask from Jewel?_ He thought to himself as he asked his old time friend. "What is it?"

"The condition is that all of you agree that I'd be a help." She anxiously waited for the reactions from the three blue macaws, who glanced towards each other, as if silently conversing. For a moment she started to lose hope but it all changed when they turned towards her with big smiles on their faces.

"Like we even need to state that. If that was all The bird wants, he got it." Roberto replied, causing Jewel to yell in excitement, leaping in the air to do a quick loop de loop. She landed back on the branch and hugged all of them.

"You three are the best!" She said, releasing them a moment later before they could suffocate.

"Hey. We trained together since we were kids, why would we say no. We were quite bummed when we heard you couldn't originally join." Melisa admitted, happy to know her best friend will be joining them. Now that the initial excitement was over, Jewel got right to work.

"OK then. Anyone planned out anything about the patrol yet?"

She group shook their heads in unison as a response. "Actually, we wanted to start in a few minutes. We need to finish it fast, because Eduardo wants to oversee the plan before the patrol starts." Esteban added to the response.

"Perfect. When we got the plan and present it to him, you can tell him I can join too." Jewel replied, happy that they can complete two things at once. The group flew away from the branch to begin their brainstorming.

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**Several hours later, dusk**

The four birds were finally given the go ahead. Eduardo found the plan to be excellent and gave his blessing. They leaped in the air from the hollow, soaring through the humid jungle at incredible speeds to get to the edge of their tribe. Roberto took the lead, followed by Jewel behind him. Esteban and Melisa covered their flanks as they flew.

For humans, the jungle canopy was one meshed up surface, impossible to navigate between. Macaws on the other hand evolved in this environment, allowing them to pick up on subtle cues, giving them an ability to find their way in the jungle. They could see the invisible border of their tribe and a couple of scarlet macaws in the distance.

Soon after, they saw the current patrol group and replaced them after they landed for a brief moment to exchange relevant information and sightings. The sun was slowly setting down, which was exactly what the blue macaws wanted. On average, their darker feathers allowed a much better blending during night than the scarlet's vibrant red coating.

If a group was really trespassing, their best chance to catch them was if they remained completely hidden but fully mobile. Now came their plan. Another group of macaws flew towards them. They were the decoys. Their job will be to patrol normally above the tree tops, giving intruders the illusion of control and safety.

What they won't know is that Jewel's group will use the canopy to blend in and move behind the decoy patrol. This time they talked over the plan, and once that was done the team pretended to fly away, diving under the treetops and going back. The decoy group began their patrol work as usual.

Half an hour later the sun finally set, giving rise to the sea of stars in the sky. The new moon barely gave enough light to allow the animals to see each other, but this helped the blue macaws tremendously. The decoy group flew past the military macaw tribe's border, now flying next to the scarlet one. Roberto was in the front, concentrating on the terrain in front of him, making sure neither he or his team mates hit a branch. With the path covered, Jewel, Mel and Esteban could use their sight to peek above the canopy, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

Due to being under the treetops, they had to rely on the decoys to tell them where they were. The blue macaws agreed that the lead bird will twist his tail feathers when they reach a forth of a border and two times if a border change occurred. Melisa saw the second tail twist, indicating they were already half way though.

She began to doubt that these intruders existed, but she was proven otherwise when Jewel caught the group's attention. They landed on a branch close to the canopy's top, and the female indicated towards an area a bit behind them. The macaws scanned the part of the area under the cover, and their eyes widened at what they saw.

Sure enough, a group of scarlet macaws were gliding silently through the border, directly into Spix macaw territory. They fixed their gaze on the birds and leaped from the branch, resuming their previous formation. They followed them to make sure the reds didn't just make a mistake.

The scarlet macaws kept flying into the heart of blue macaw territory, and what sealed their fate was utilizing a well known and effective stealth flying technique. There was no denying it, these reds are trespassing. What they had to find out now, is what the rivals wanted.

The blue macaw group followed them as a shadow, hiding under the treetops. It looked like the scarlets were searching for something. They all looked in different directions and talked to each other, but the distance was too big to make out what they were saying.

Suddenly, they banked to the right, changing their course by a long shot from the tribe's heart to the grove. This made Jewel worry even more. There was not much the reds could do within the heart of the tribe, unless they wanted to commit genocide. The grove was a different matter. The scarlet tribe wanted the grove all for themselves for decades now.

_This could be a recon for an organized attack._ She thought to herself, keeping her eyes on the intruders. They were weird to say the least. They kept changing formations, an endless loop of search patterns and efficient traveling flight. Sometimes they glanced behind them, right exactly where Jewel's team was flying. Luckily their color and stealth kept them hidden.

The scenery was starting to be familiar to Jewel, and she realized they were now at the edge of the grove. The scarlet macaw group started to slow down, glancing towards the horizon to find a place to land. They appeared to be bickering between each other. A few minutes later they found a good spot to rest. This was perfect for the blue macaws because they were out in the open.

Esteban left the group and flew towards the closest known guard tree to get backup. As the others continued to get closer to the intruders, they were relieved to see them permanently standing on a high branch, the bickering turned into a full blown argument. Now that their distance was reduced, they could finally make out what they were saying.

"We have been doing this for two weeks now. What's the point? There is no change." A male spoke up with annoyance, only to get shot down by another.

"Felipe want's to know what is going on. The blues have no idea. Heck, they don't even know we are here. We would have been busted long ago if they were competent."

"One day we are going to mess up and end up caught. That will worsen our already bad relations. This can easily escalate into a war you know!" The third one chimed in, and they engaged in heavy debating about obeying orders or not.

This went on for multiple minutes, before Esteban arrived with backup consisting of six macaws and more on the way. They silently planned the surprise attack, and flew to position below the treetops. The blue macaws worked as one, like a pride of lions hunting their prey. They all got ready, spreading their wings apart and keeping their eyes on their target. The reds not suspecting a thing. Without warning, Roberto yelled at the top of his lungs so everyone could hear him. "GET THEM!"

The ten Spix's macaws leaped of the branches, shooting through the canopy like bullets from a gun. The red macaws panicked and looked around but due to the dark blue feathers, they couldn't see them until it was too late. The five scarlet macaws were tackled by two blues each. The overwhelming force subdued all five of them quickly, and their wings were locked behind their backs.

Jewel and Roberto let go of their captives, as their partners were both strong enough to keep them at bay. The commotion woke up other macaws who quickly flew over and were shocked at the intruders. Now there was no way for them to get away, there was practically a flock surrounding them.

"Well well well. What do we have here?" Roberto spoke up with disgust and anger, getting all five scarlet macaws to look at him. The angry glare and threatening voice didn't seem to have an effect on them. These were not ordinary macaws, they were probably guards or trained individuals.

"Filthy intruders, that's who you are." He continued by taunting them, hoping some of them had anger management issues and would spill out information. Instead, they just glared at the blue macaw without speaking a single word or giving a sound.

"It is not worth playing the tough guys. You are all busted and Eduardo already knows about this. So why don't you guys spill and we can get this over with?" Esteban spoke up as he also let go of his captive to join Roberto's side.

"This can go down two ways. You guys tell us what you did, and we'll return you to Felipe, unharmed. Or..." He continued but didn't finish the sentence, giving Roberto the opportunity he wanted.

"We take you guys to the tribe center jail where nobody will know where you are. That place is not fun, I can tell that much." Just as he finished giving the threat, a new group of Spix macaws arrived at the scene, with the tribe leader in the lead. The old but high authority holding bird landed on the branch with force and determination, which caused a few of them to flinch.

"What is going on here?" Eduardo's deep voice boomed with anger, eyeing the scarlet macaws one by one. He was scanning to see if he could recognize any of them but they were complete strangers. He made a circular motion with his wings, and multiple blue macaws arrived with vines in their talons, tying up the reds. He turned towards Roberto.

"I'm guessing neither of them are willing to talk?" His right hand man just shook his head in conformation. Eduardo didn't seem to phased or surprised at all. He knew full well they couldn't torture them to get the information, they will just have to place them under enough pressure to know what was the point of the intrusion. "They sealed their fates then… Throw them in the jail cells. I want triple guards on each one. Maybe they will talk if we are more _welcoming_." He sarcastically remarked, ordering his fellow macaws. A bunch of males nodded their heads and picked up the scarlet macaws, flying away towards the heart of the tribe.

Without warning, an unexplained chiming noise rang through the jungle. It was very faint but distinct enough that birds realized it was not ambient. Everyone looked in all directions, trying to find the sound, without luck. Eduardo thought it might be a scarlet help chirp or something, and turned towards the four patrol birds as the crowd started to dissipate. "Find out what's making that noise." He ordered before flying off himself, possibly to deal with the caught intruders.

The sound was heard once again, but due to their position, the nearby trees made the sound echo, giving the impression it came from multiple directions. Roberto was the de facto leader of the group and decided their best chances were if they split up.

"OK. Let's split up to cover more ground. Esteban, you're with me. Jewel, Melisa, you go north." The group nodded their heads and took off without speaking a word.

Several minutes later, the five captives arrived at the Spix's macaw tribe center, where guards were already expecting them. The scarlet macaws were visibly anxious, seeing so many blue macaws in one place made them nervous. Their captors flew them inside a large semi hollow tree, which was filled with small holes blocked by vines or twigs.

They could see a few Spix's macaws inside, probably their criminals who were not banished. It was only now they realized their fate. Five cells were opened up and they were pretty harshly thrown against the inner walls before it was blocked off again. They adjusted to the surroundings rather quickly but neither said a word, even though the guards were continuously taunting them. _This is going to be a long night._ They all thought in unison.

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**Meanwhile with Jewel and Melisa**

Minutes passed by in silence, as Jewel and Melisa continued to make their way towards the source of the strange sound. The macaws had to periodically stop to listen to the ambient noise. After a few seconds of silence, they heard the weird chiming again. This time they could locate it better since they were closer to the origin.

This also confirmed their way was the correct one. The females leaped in the air and flew towards the sound, gliding as much as possible to keep up their stealth approach. The chime happened once again, and now they knew it must be very close. Fortunately, they left the tribe territory and was currently in 'no mans land' as this area barely had any food macaws could eat.

While looking around, Jewel managed to spot a few trees on the horizon which were illuminated by a yellow light from underneath. She got her friend's attention and the duo banked to the right, coming closer and closer to the strange light. As they searched for a branch high enough to view whatever anomaly was there they heard a new sound.

Actually a voice, not a sound. But it was not a chirp, it was foul and savage. Jewel's heart started to beat faster as her anxiety increased. _It can't be!_ She though to herself as he shook her head to clear her mind from those thoughts. Melisa found a good branch and the macaws landed silently on it. They glanced towards the jungle floor and were horrified at what they saw.

"H-h-humans!" Melisa exclaimed with terror, almost falling off the branch if Jewel didn't catch her in time. Neither of them could remove their eyes from the group of bipedal mammalians. There was a huge group of humans with tents, campfires and a lot of truly huge yellow things which some birds called 'machines'. One of these was tall with a rotating dish, giving off the weird chiming noise.

"There must be dozens of them… So close to the tribe… They're, they're loggers." Jewel spoke under her breath but it was loud enough that Melisa could hear. She looked around and found cages, some of them occupied. She turned towards Jewel.

"W-what do we do?!" She asked as her voice trembled, remembering the horrifying experience they lived through when they were chicks.

"We need to go back and warn the tribe!" The light cyan female stated, and leaped from the branch with haste, flying back towards the tribe without even waiting for her friend. Melisa took one last glance at the caged birds before she followed suit.

Unfortunately for them, they didn't get too far as a giant net flew towards them from under, catching them off guard. They yelled from surprise and shock, getting tangled in the alien contraption, losing the ability to fly instantly. They started plummeting towards the ground but their fall was cushioned by the many leafs and branches below them.

The blue macaws hit the jungle floor in a painful but not fatal thud. It took several seconds for them to regain their composure, but the sight before them was terrifying. Two humans walked towards them casually with metal cages in their hands. They were grinning like children at a candy store.

"Look at this catch, Tipa! They are Spix's macaws! These are rare!" The skinny human spoke up, getting his partner's attention who almost jumped in excitement.

"They must be worth a fortune Marcel!" The chubby one replied, already thinking about what he will do with the load of money they will get by selling a rare endangered species. Jewel and Melisa desperately tried to claw their way out but the net was too strong and they just became even more entangled.

The skinny human got something from his backpack and sprayed the two females with a foul smelling mist, making them dizzy as their vision blurred before they collapsed to the floor. The last thing they heard before blackness was an evil greedy laugh.


	2. Trouble at the border Part 2

**Chapter 2**

Trouble at the border Part 2

**Disclaimer**

_I do not own Rio._

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The rays from the rising sun penetrated through the jail tree's small but numerous cracks, waking up the occupants inside from their restless slumber. Although none of the five scarlet macaws could explain it, they felt as if the rays foreshadowed something bad, the air just felt heavy. They shook their heads to rid themselves of these feelings. The birds really hoped their situation was not real and was just a really bad dream, but unfortunately for them, reality was often disappointing. Their day couldn't have started worse, the macaws were both hungry and thirsty, since the blues barely gave them any nourishment.

"How long is this going to continue?" A red macaw broke the eerie silence after who knows how long, not caring about the no speaking rule imposed by the blue macaws. He looked outside but didn't find any guards around who would enforce it, so it didn't matter, at least for now. Another red snickered at the question.

"Who knows? The blues didn't and will not believe our story. They view us as liars and thieves. I won't be surprised if they use torture or possibly even murder to get what they want." The second macaw spoke up, but the negativity in his voice annoyed the rest of his team. It certainly didn't raise their morale which was a pretty important thing right now.

"Don't be such a fool. Torture and murder would be an instant act of war. Eduardo is a level headed bird who always brokered peace. He was the one who managed to stop the military and blue yellow macaws from going to war after all. Something everyone else including Felipe's father thought impossible at the time." A third bird joined in the conversation, attempting to be the voice of reason. The others did not share this view, believing it was too naive in the world they lived in.

"They will reasonably think _this_ was a prelude to a war. Our well being is the least of their concern right now. Besides, if we just 'bow' down to them, that will mean they broke our will power. We have to stay strong, we swore an oath to the tribe. We must retain all information even if it means torture." The forth captive chimed in, countering the argument with valid points which made perfect sense given their current situation.

"Just because they are Spix's macaws doesn't mean they are savages. Eduardo let a lot go during the first few years lead by Felipe. No matter what we do or say, we did trespass…" The third one disagreed with an annoyed undertone, pointing out what they did in 'legal' terms. This did not bid well with the rest.

"Traitor! Who's side are you on?" The second exclaimed with anger so intense, his face turned crimson. The emotions were starting to resurface inside him, meaning the blue macaw's tactics to break them mentally started to work pretty well on this particular scarlet bird. The bird who's loyalty was questioned glared back, feeling insulted by the accusation.

"I'm on the scarlet side of course. But we need to look at this logically. Playing stupid and disrespecting them is only going to worsen our situation..." The third couldn't finish his statement because the second one interrupted with a raised voice, clearly not caring about the guards who will probably hear them now.

"It was your fault we are captured to begin with. If you hadn't started arguing, the blues wouldn't have jumped us."

The third was silent for a few seconds, formulating his response carefully. He was about to reply and defend himself but a blue macaw flew up from nowhere and smacked a big stick against the tree wall to silence them up. "No speaking!" The guard yelled, causing the red macaws to shut up once more, neither wanting to get into a fight unnecessarily.

The uncomfortable silence continued for about ten minutes, until they could hear a group of macaws flying towards the entrance. They landed one after the other and the scarlet captives could now identify them. In the lead was the Spix's macaw leader with multiple unknown guards around him, flanked by familiar faces like Esteban and Roberto. Eduardo was pissed, his mood yesterday night was nothing compared to this one. The anger radiating from his form like the blazing heat from the sun. He looked around the room to find the five macaws in question. A moment later he found what he was looking for. "Bring them here." He spoke up with venom so pure and deadly, it could kill if it somehow materialized.

The blue macaws all around him obeyed his orders and flew up towards the cells. They opened them up with little difficulty and held the reds down as their partners tied them up with vines once again. "Hey! That's too tight!" One of them complained as the vine was giving him difficulty to breath. The blue macaw ignored it and finished tying the captive. After they were all immobilized and secured, they were flown down to the bare floor in front of Eduardo.

"Now, I want answers to my questions with haste and accuracy." His deep voice rumbled throughout the hollow with an impatient undertone, making some of them shake in fear. The scarlet macaw who had the emotional outbursts however was not intimidated by the blue macaw. To the dismay of his team mates, he actively tried to oppose him by taunting.

"In your dreams, blue. Our beaks are sealed shut."

The leader was not impressed at the taunt at all but chuckled in response. He surprised everyone when he lunged forward and grabbed the bird in question by the neck, slowly but steadily raising him up to his eye level. The air supply was suddenly uncomfortably limited, but the blue macaw made sure to not cut it out all right. "You… You will tell me what happened to Jewel and Melisa before I personally squeeze the life out of you." Eduardo threatened the scarlet macaw, who finally understood the blue macaw was not joking and now fully regretted his outburst.

"W-w-what are you t-talking about. We d-didn't do anything to t-them." He retorted, struggling to speak with so little air available. Unfortunately, this was not the answer the elderly macaw wanted. Eduardo made sure to relay this fact by squeezing his air pipe a bit more.

"_Don't play games with me._ I sent them after you were captured and they never got back."

"W-we were s-sent to scout t-the territory. W-why would we c-capture b-blues?" The red tried to reason with the macaw, but it fell on deaf ears. Eduardo didn't accept the answer. According to the theory he made, they had very good reasons for the capture and he wanted to know what it was. He was willing to go as far as injuring the captives. He wanted his daughter found no matter the cost.

"I think you are lying. They never returned from the patrol after your capture. How do you explain that?"

"M-maybe they were incompetent and got e-eaten by a predator?" The red shot back, fed up with the accusations and chocking. It was only later he realized the mistake's magnitude he just made when insulting the elderly macaw's daughter. Hearing the remark, Eduardo's expression darkened like a suddenly formed tropical storm.

"What did you just say?" He snared, bringing his face closer to the intruder's with a quick jerk.

"Uh n-nothing." The macaw tried to remedy his situation but it was too late. The blue macaw finally snapped and fully gripped the helpless macaw's neck, cutting off the air flow completely at last.

In response, the red started to choke, his body desperately fighting for oxygen but the vines and Eduardo's strength was too much to defeat. Slowly his face started to turn bluer and bluer. The choking macaw's fellow team mates were shocked that the leader was about to suffocate their member while they were unable to do anything. Even the blue macaws around them were disturbed by the action. This was not the Eduardo they knew. The red macaw kept struggling, growing more desperate by the second. A small glimpse of hope appeared when their ordeal was suddenly interrupted by a new voice coming from behind them. Everybody was so distracted they failed to acknowledge wing flaps and the sound of talons hitting the tree bark.

"Eduardo. Stop this right now." Eduardo turned around to find the source of the new feminine voice. He saw his older sister, Mimi standing there with her wings folded and a clear disappointing look on her face. "This will get us nowhere." She added impatiently with a judging tone, and the leader knew exactly what she was talking about. He turned back to face the still suffocating red macaw who was now silently begging for his life.

He growled before releasing the pressure on his air pipe and throwing him towards the others, making sure the landing was especially painful. The macaw hit the ground with his right wing, and a light snap echoed around the hollow. This was followed by the bird's yell mixed with gasping as his lungs finally got the much needed oxygen. The injured macaw's fellow birds flinched at the thought of what pain he experienced at the moment.

"Felipe was contacted and demands to know why his men are kept here. He is on his way towards the Pit of Doom right now." Mimi explained the reason for her visit once the injured macaw gone silent, but the news enraged Eduardo even further.

"_Demands_?! The nerve he has!" He practically yelled, but knowing the context it was not directed at the female.

"Grab them. We are going to the Pit." He looked towards his guards before ordering them. They just nodded before picking up the prisoners and the small group took to the skies. The trip was spent in complete silence, minus the occasional grunting from the red macaw Eduardo interrogated and injured.

The lack of conversation started to bother her, so Mimi flew closer to her younger brother who was eerily mute. She felt bad for him, barely able to imagine the pain he must be going through. She remembered when the macaw almost broke after his mate suddenly died. The only thing that kept him sane was his daughter, the duty towards their tribe and her to some extent. Still, she knew she cannot allow him to act so recklessly in a situation so important as this one. After all, as an older sibling, it was her duty to talk sense into her 'little brother'.

"Eddie. I cannot even start to imagine what you are going through right now… But you need to put your personal feelings aside. If your theory is correct, Felipe wants to use Jewel to emotionally manipulate you. I always knew Felipe was arrogant, but never thought he would do something like this. Nevertheless, you injuring that captive will only weaken our position." Her soft and caring voice broke through his mental blocks, and as much as he wanted to argue, she was right, and he knew it.

"It was my fault, Mimi. I was the one who let her join that patrol. Now she is held hostage, and the only reason is because she is related to me." He confessed to his sister, feeling as if a huge boulder was relieved from his shoulders. He did make sure to speak quietly though. He couldn't afford to let his tribe or the enemy see this side of him, only his family could. He couldn't help but feel guilty for allowing Jewel to go, knowing she is in danger because of him.

"I was never a parent, and like I said before, I cannot imagine it. But it is time for you to let go. My little wildflower is an adult, a beautiful grown up woman. You cannot protect her forever and she must make her own decisions… And joining that patrol was her decision. Just like Melisa's." She tried to comfort her younger brother, and after a long pause it seemed to have worked somewhat. Silence took over the scene once more and didn't change for the remainder of their trip.

Soon after, the group arrived at the bottomless looking pit. A good chunk of both tribes gathered around the edge to observe what was going on. They ignored the crowd and made their way towards the inner region. They could already see the red macaws standing at a cliff's edge, waiting for them a bit impatiently. The red delegation was rather small, only about a dozen scarlet macaws with Felipe in the center. The blues landed in front of them, and after the reds saw their tribe members tied up they were concerned but not surprised. What changed their attitude completely was seeing one of them who now had a swollen wing, which indicated the wing was probably broken. This infuriated many of them and caused them to angrily glare at the blue delegation.

"Eddie! What is the meaning of this?!" Felipe walked in front of his delegation, eyeing the older blue macaw in the process. During their trip here, Eduardo managed to collect himself and bottle up his anger, since this was a diplomatic situation and he cannot afford to be a hypocrite. However, he would not tolerate disrespect.

"First off, that is Eduardo to you. Second, I've been settling disputes between our tribes long before you were even laid, son. I know every trick in the book, and you dare ask me what is the meaning of this?!" He started speaking with a slow and calm voice, but the near silent yet still present angry undertone made the scarlet group uneasy. Felipe was about to retort but Eduardo cut him off, continuing by pointing out the red leader's behavior. "You violated our treaties time and time again. Now you send entire intruder teams?" He pointed a wing towards the five captives to prove his point.

Felipe glanced at them with a disappointed face, before turning back to look the blue macaw in the eyes. "You have no proof of that. You could have just snatched my people for ransom. Now hand them over and I'll ignore this hostility for once." The scarlet macaw exclaimed with an impatient tone, hiding any hint of lying. This boiled the blue's blood but he knew he had to keep it hidden.

"Oh, no. I think you mixed up your 'facts'. I dispatched a special patrol group to find out what happened, because I've been getting reports all month. Guess what? They were caught red handed." He paused for a second, allowing the information to sink in. "You expose yourself like every liar does. Twisting your own actions to fit your agenda and paint me as the villain." For an untrained eye, it looked as if the scarlet macaw was not phased at all. But Eduardo could see his opponent mentally start to crack, and it started to show up both on his speech and body language.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Although it was now clear as day that he was lying about the secret intruders, Felipe honestly had no idea what the blue macaw was further implying. His less than professional response started to take a toll on the elderly macaw's patience. Eduardo was losing his temper by the second and that worried the red macaw. The situation was escalating fast and nobody liked that.

"We discovered your intruders. As a response, you captured two of our patrol birds, taking them hostage. Jewel and Melisa." The accusation puzzled Felipe to say the least. Nothing that even remotely resembling the story matched what he ordered or knew about. The scarlet macaw thrown a confused look which looked genuine enough, but Eduardo was not believing it after the lies he previously made.

"Felipe. The only reason we are not already at your hollows with spears and claws is because of the respect I hold towards your father. We never saw eye to eye, but he could put his pride aside when it came to political matters and innocent lives. How about you grow a spine and do the same? Or did honor die in your family with his death?" This caused the red macaw to blow up with fury.

"How dare you speak of my father?!" He snared at the blue macaw after the mention of his father, but got no emotional reaction from the blue macaw at all. Instead, the response caused Eduardo to come forward and stop inches from the scarlet leader. Both sides raised their claws, anticipating attack but neither leader flinched. Eduardo was a bit bigger than Felipe which did cause the red macaw to mentally hesitate for a moment. The blue macaw leader saw this and used the opening.

"You trespass, capture one of ours after we apprehend your intruders and you are mad? Last warning, Felipe. Give us back the women, or else…" The scarlet leader was not happy at the threat. The still lingering anger caused him to puff his chest.

"Or else what?" He challenged the older bird, who still held eyes full of determination and zero emotion.

"_War_." The singular word sent chills down every bird's spine in the immediate area. It felt like the temperature dropped thirty degrees in a second. The blue macaws knew exactly that Eduardo never joked around, especially with _that_ word. This caused Felipe to take a step back as he processed the response. His eyes widened at the realization what the implications of that was. His anger instantly vanished and was replaced with shock and worry.

"Last time. We don't have your daughter!" Felipe desperately retorted, but by this point his voice started to tremble. He's ego was always big and he loved to annoy the blue leader, but war was never something he actually wanted. Eduardo on the other hand was strong and well collected, even though inside he was burning with fury. Still, he held himself much better than Felipe did in the showing emotion department.

"So be it." Eduardo announced coldly. His deep voice rumbled throughout the pit, and every macaw was shocked at the decision. The mixed group of blue and red macaws just stared at the leaders in total disbelief. Tensions were always high between them and although the possibility always lingered, neither side thought it would ever happen. Especially initiation from Eduardo. Both parties slowly started to take a few steps back, distancing themselves from the new 'enemy'. It was very clear the negotiations were over. Before they could do anything else, a new but familiar feminine voice echoed through the Pit of Doom.

"DAD!"

* * *

**Earlier, a few kilometers north of the Pit of Doom**

The darkness that clouded Jewel's mind slowly started to dissipate. As she regained consciousness, she could finally feel her environment around her. Instead of the soft texture of a nest or branch, she felt ice cold metal underneath. She picked up slight vibrations and bumps in irregular intervals. Soon after her hearing slowly came back, allowing her to hear the foul rumbling of a human truck. This was accompanied by crying as well as panicked voices all around her.

She slowly opened her eyes, needing little time to adjust to the low brightness. She blinked a few times to clear her blurry vision and that was when her memories came flooding back to her like a tsunami. _Scarlet intruders. Strange chiming noise. Humans, a net, and later a cage_. She quickly stood up but her legs wobbled because her balance was not yet perfect. Ignoring this, she ran forwards towards the only source of light, but was halted by multiple iron bars blocking her exit. It was obvious now, she was stuck in a cage.

The gap between the bars was big enough to fit her head and neck through. It was now that she could associate the ambient noises clearly. She could see dozens of cages of various sizes. Some below, some above, some across from her. What horrified Jewel was the fact all of them were occupied. Birds of all kinds were trapped inside, the metal contraption serving as their prison cells. Most of them were either sulking or silently crying while others were trying to sleep away the depression.

"Don't worry darling. We will be OK. Mommy will make sure of it." A female red fronted macaw tried to calm a small bundle between her wings. Jewel was mortified when she realized it was a chick, barely old enough to fly. These humans captured families without a single thought what it will do to them. What made her blood freeze was when she examined the mother's face. It was not one of fear, it was one of grief.

Macaws rarely laid one egg, it was mostly either two or three. Couple that with the fact she couldn't see any other red fronted macaw, she quickly came to a dark conclusion what might have transpired. It made her want to vomit but she fought off the urge, figuring humans would not care to clean it up. The next thing she figured out was that these humans must have come from really far away, because this is the first time she actually saw a red fronted macaw. Her tribe knew of their existence but they lived so far away it was virtually unreachable.

It was only now that she realized her fate and it sank in fully. The worst was that she didn't see her friend anywhere. Her mind started to race with thoughts but she suppressed those as well, trying to spare her consciousness from more pain. She just lowered her head and closed her eyes in defeat.

"Do Spix's macaws always give up so quickly when faced with a hard challenge?" She couldn't sulk in peace, because a masculine yet teasing voice spoke up next to her, causing Jewel to raise her head. She was quick to do so but was annoyed at the sight next to her, if not out right afraid of it. _A harpy eagle. __Just g__reat._ She through to herself as she rolled her eyes and looked the giant predator with a burning inferno in her irises.

"How about you mind your own business, _murderer_!" She shot back with venom and hatred, but it did not phase the raptor one bit. It remained calm and calculated, shrugging off the insult like it was nothing. It made sense, the poor creatures who ended up as his dinner probably said very nice things to him before their life was over. Still, the calmness crept her out. The stare of a predator instinctively conjured fear in macaws, but she tried to keep her cool.

"The tone of the response is expected, but I'm afraid your hatred is misplaced. I'm not the enemy here. They are." The eagle pointed his big wings towards a few humans who were currently sleeping on an old couch, snoring loudly in the process. She recognized them as the poachers who caught her and Melisa earlier. What she wouldn't do to get out of this cage and claw their eyes out… But right now she had other, much more pressing matters to attend to.

"Wrong. Both of you are my enemies. So how about you leave me alone before I make you regret your very own birth." The eagle laughed at the empty threat, making Jewel's skin crawl under her feathers. "I doubt that."

"About your second statement, I concur. You see, me and you share a connection which is as old as time itself. Hunter and the hunted, the endless circle of life. It is a balance nature upholds very carefully… But in the eyes of these humans, both of us are just birds. Life they deem less valuable than their own. To them, we are just an easy money grab." He added shortly after, attempting to explain his views to the female who while was not incredibly accepting listened non the less. It might had to do with the fact she was stuck next to him with no way out.

"Money?" She questioned with a puzzled expression but still maintained her distrusting nature.

"It is their measure of wealth. Insignificant pieces of green material similar to leafs they don't even eat. They do not respect nature, unlike us. We collect fruit or hunt prey to survive, and _only enough_ to survive. They do it in massive quantities for this money."

"And what am I supposed to do about it?" Jewel replied with the same hate in her voice as before. Even though the eagle made sense, she couldn't believe she was having conversation with a predator. The worst was that she had no idea what his game was. Harpy eagles are not known to converse much at all. Especially not with animals they considered prey. Which was pretty much the whole jungle.

"Well, you are in a unique position. If you are up to the task, you can release all of us from these cages." The eagle answered her question, and this raised her curiosity even further. She removed her gaze from the sleeping humans and looked at him once again in the eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"The humans made a mistake placing you next to me. Look here, my cage's lock is within your reach." He placed a giant claw on the lock but due to his size there was no way for him to unlock it. She immediately shook her head when she realized what the raptor wanted her to do.

"Absolutely not. You'll just grab my neck and suffocate me. I'm not stupid." She finally turned away, walking back inside her cage to sit down and brainstorm about what she could do. To her dismay, the eagle didn't give up so easily.

"And what good will that do, my dear? I'm also not stupid. I would kill my only chance for freedom."

The response made her think. Every fiber in her being screamed it was a trap, but she weighted her options objectively. She would die if she stayed in the cage, no doubt. Even if the eagle was lying and ends up killing her, at least it will be swift and the potential suffering will end. On top of that, there was always a small chance he would keep his word. She sighted heavily, before she walked up to the bars and poked her head out once again. "Fine." She agreed to help, but a new and familiar voice grabbed her attention.

"Jewel! Don't!" The distinct voice of Melisa rang through the holding space. She looked up and saw her in a cage just like hers. "He will just trick you!" She added trying to be the voice of reason. The commotion woke up or caught the attention of other trapped birds. Everyone now looked towards her and the eagle with a probably well earned mistrust.

"That woman must have lost all hope to trust a harpy." A few muffled voices echoed around her, as the other birds murmured their thoughts about her decision. She felt insulted, and made sure to glance around, trying to find a lock close enough to other cages. Turned out the predator was not lying, she was the only one who could pull this off.

"Not this again." The eagle grunted with annoyance at the mass's reaction. He turned towards Jewel and looked her in the eyes, but what shocked the blue macaw was the expression in his stare. For the first time in her life, she could see emotion on a predator's face. It was no longer a cold, calculated killer's face but a depressed and trapped soul's. He was pleading for her for help.

"How do you unlock it?" She simply asked, ignoring her friend's and the other birds screams and protests. The eagle smiled at the cooperation and hastily explained it with as much detail as possible, raising his own voice to drown out the chatter around them.

"It is a turn and slide lock. Turn it and slide it towards yourself. Pretty easy to do."

She closed her eyes, taking a long deep breath. This will either be her ticket to freedom or her end. She opened her eyes and slowly but surely extended her neck as much as possible, grabbing the lock with her beak a second later. The other occupants gasped at the action, but Jewel ignored them. Every instinct screamed at her to pull back. Having her neck exposed like that literally centimeters from a deadly predator increased her heartbeat to levels she never thought was possible. The disgusting metallic taste didn't help either.

She turned the lock and started pulling on it. At first it didn't move and looked like it was stuck, but after jerking it a few times with more force it started to slide. One final pull later the contraption unlocked with a faint click sound accompanying it. She let got of the metal bit and pulled her neck back as fast as possible. The eagle kicked the cage's door with as much force as he could muster, and his reward was the door opening up. He laughed with delight at the newly acquired freedom. The others were not so happy and it became apparent why.

The giant bird flew off but made a U turn and landed perfectly on Jewel's cage, his weight shaking the whole contraption, causing her to step back until she was against the wall. The powerful claws grabbed the iron bars, allowing him to remain steady. He lowered his head and his eyes focused on her, the predatory hunting instincts kicking in. The raptor unlocked the lock without much effort and opened up the cage.

Jewel was paralyzed as she realized she was still trapped as the eagle blocked her only exit. Now there was nothing stopping him from capturing the blue macaw and she could barely hurt him in such a tight space. The piercing predatory gaze suddenly vanished before he could go in and catch her. He just glanced at her before jumping off, flying to the opposite side to another cage.

The occupant screamed in terror, thinking the predator came to eat him next. The harpy eagle performed the same procedure and flew off to another one after it was done. It was only then she realized he was opening up everyone's cell. After Jewel regained her composure, she leaped away from her prison and landed on Melisa's cage.

"Jewel! You are mad!" Melisa exclaimed, she couldn't believe her friend would risk so much with so little trust. But she couldn't argue with the results, the light blue macaw was free and still alive after all. Jewel didn't bother to respond as she was busy opening up the lock. Using the same technique, she got her friend free from the metal cage.

The blue macaws could have flown off, but the predator's little speech made them realize they were all from the same jungle, and by that extent form of a big 'family' against humans. They assisted the eagle in freeing the remaining captives. It was truly a bizarre sight to behold for any outside observer, predator and prey working together in peace. The miracle was over in less than two minutes, the end result being that everyone was now free.

Their timing couldn't have been more perfect if they tried. One of the humans finally woke up from all the commotion and was horrified at the sight before him. Dozens of exotic and very valuable birds were outside, free from their metal cages. "HOW DID THEY GET FREE?!" He yelled in panic, causing his partner to wake up as well. This was the cue the birds were waiting for. The group took off towards the back of the truck as fast as possible. The dozens of wing flaps even drowned out the still moving truck's engine noise, which was a great distraction. Marcel and Tipa were unable to stop the flock, they could only watch as their fortune flew away.

The makeshift flock stayed in formation for a long time, and when they were a safe distance away from the humans, Melisa could finally look back to see what was their position. It was only then she realized where the humans were directly heading.

"Oh no! Jewel! The humans are going towards the tribe!" She exclaimed with a horrified expression. This caused Jewel to panic as well. The loggers and poachers were practically next to their border. She wanted to fly back but realized they would just get captured again. Meanwhile the predator flew next to them but still didn't attack.

"Warn your tribe. Take a longer detour around the humans, you are much faster than they are. There is still time." She looked towards the harpy eagle, but he slowly broke off from the flock, flying somewhere probably far away.

"WAIT!" Jewel yelled, causing the raptor to stop in mid air and turn around. "What is your name?" She asked him, wanting to know the name of the bird who saved her in a way.

"Daniel, we are even now. Good luck with the tribe." He replied, taking one last glance at the flock before turning around and flying away.

The two blue macaws followed his example and turned around, flying towards the humans and their tribe. They made sure to take the eagle's advice and made a slight detour, neither of them wanting to risk being captured again. The women sped up, flying as fast as a bullet, ignoring borders all together. In their hurry, they flew inside a small portion of the blue and yellow macaw territory, catching their patrol's attention. The patrol wanted to pursue the invaders but were puzzled when they left their territory as fast as they entered it. It was moments later they heard the roaring of human machinery and realized what the Spix's macaws were running from.

* * *

**Present time, near the Pit of Doom**

Jewel and Melisa finally arrived at their territory and immediately met up with various blue macaws, telling them what happened and asking where Eduardo was. They all gave the same answer, at the Pit of Doom. Nobody believed their claims about humans though, so they flew towards the blue macaw leader, knowing the tribe will listen to him.

As they arrived at the bottomless pit, they could see both blue and scarlet macaws, in a standoff. The five captives were also there but they were not given over to the reds. Instead, Felipe and Eduardo were at each other's throats, and from the facial expressions they knew something horrible just transpired between them. But Jewel knew it was nothing compared to what is about to happen. "DAD!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, catching every bird's attention in the area.

The elderly macaw looked towards the source of the voice and his eyes widened in disbelief. He was speechless as the females landed next to the two groups, catching their breath from the intense flying they were forced to do. "Jewel! Melisa! You two are alive!" He exclaimed with relief, but their troubled glances wiped away all happiness he had in the moment.

"Dad! Humans! Loggers and poachers are coming here!" Jewel hastily told the group, who were not convinced by the warning, just like the tribe members. She was very desperate to find a way to convince them, but fortune smiled upon her. Suddenly a giant explosion rang through the jungle, causing all birds in the area to look towards the source of the deafening sound.

They could see a giant cloud of smoke rise from the horizon, before a big tree slowly fell to the side while birds desperately escaped by flying up. Without warning, other explosions followed suit and each was closer and closer to the grove. The painful memories started to flood back for Eduardo, and he kicked into overdrive, completely forgetting the war he just declared.

"Evacuation! We're leaving!" He turned around and ordered his men, who immediately took off towards the sky and their tribe. The five intruders were left alone and after they were freed from the vines by their tribe, the scarlets flew back as well to deal with the human threat their own way. Felipe stayed behind and looked towards Eduardo with a questioned look.

"Truce?" He offered, and was pleasantly surprised when the blue macaw nodded his head.

"Truce." Eduardo accepted the offer with a neutral expression, and with that settled, everyone left the cliff, leaving it deserted of avian life

* * *

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...

* * *

**OrangeMacawWorld:**

Thank you for taking the time to create the detailed review, and another one for pointing out the actual positive and negative aspects respectively. It is incredibly helpful to see what was done right and wrong. Sadly (from my experience anyways) not many people dare to do this for fear of backlash or community bullying maybe? Anyways, I'm very humbled and will certainly do my best to improve in those areas and not let this get to my head.

My reasoning behind the information tab was the fact that according to my own statistics as well as other people's, most readers click on the story title and then navigate to the current chapter instead of using that small arrow. So I thought organizing news this way meant more readers actually see whatever I posted there. Then again, you are the first to comment about it, so I accepted the advice and moved it to my bio. On that note, I also dropped the responses and moved them to the end of chapters like this one.

About the grammar, sadly it is something I'm very aware of and try my best to overcome. English can be tricky for me at times. Perhaps it is time I looked into getting a beta reader in the near future.

**monsterjamvadim:**

Glad you like it. I don't understand what canon is referring to in this context though. The events of Rio 1 never happened, and the only event from Rio 2 was the logger attack which was used to start off the story. Completely alternate timeline.


	3. Exodus

**Chapter 3**

Exodus

**Disclaimer**

_I do not own Rio._

* * *

Evacuation. This word sent flocks of birds into a state of panic if their leader ever uttered it, but not the Spix's macaws. Unlike most birds in the area, who's flock might have lived here for hundreds if not thousands of years, the natural catastrophe forced the blue macaws into a life of almost nomadic nature. Their once great numbers were basically halved and the remaining population greatly diminished over time.

But this was nothing new within the natural world, and at one point they even believed they could actually recover from it. All of that changed when the first colonizers from across the Atlantic ocean arrived. Humans as a species were not unknown to the animals in Amazonia, but the pure greed and destructiveness of Europeans was something none of them could prepare for.

Due to their wonderfully blue plumage, the Spix's macaw quickly caught the attention of these new invaders, and soon after they were highly sought after. Like most other exotic species, they could not adapt in time to prevent their population from declining. Despite these issues, the blue macaws actually held out far longer than other now extinct parrots, and that was thanks to their adaptiveness and very well thought out evacuation plans.

While other species couldn't even imagine leaving their 'land', this became standard for Spix's macaws. The plans evolved alongside humans, incorporating every new tactic the bipedal mammalians came up with, but over the last hundred years or so, human technology started to outpace them, and the toll was showing. Back then, a relocation every two or three generations was expected, and it kept increasing ever since. Now it seems that an individual must expect more than one evacuation within their lifetime, a very worrying situation when the Amazon is shrinking due to deforestation.

As expected, the order was taken just as seriously as a declaration of war. Instead of mindlessly flying in all directions as most tribes would do, they followed the complex system, which was taught to all chicks next to the basic survival skills. Ironically, today was a perfect day to sound the order, because the whole tribe was already on edge and expecting the worst after their conflict with the scarlet tribe.

Eduardo caught up with his delegation group, which was incomplete since they were missing a few guards, who were tasked in passing on the word. He could see his fellow brothers and sisters all taking huge leaps in the air after hearing the order, and he could see that they were surprisingly calm. Sure, a few always got the occasional panic attack, but most of them learned to accept their situation and met it with a calm and level headed mind.

After all, running away from an unstoppable force was a much easier and safer thing to do than wage war against a similar sized tribe of macaws. Some were already in the air before even hearing the order, flying towards the direction Eduardo's group was heading. The elderly macaw concluded the explosion probably gave them a hunch.

There was visible tension within the group however, primarily between Jewel, Melisa and the others. Both subgroups had hundreds of questions racing through their minds, but neither was willing to initiate. Not until they arrived at their destination and figured out the next step. After all, they were all here and that's what mattered. Even if they wanted to discuss it, the privacy they needed was gone within minutes, as hundreds of blue macaws joined their side.

The massing flock was growing in size so rapidly, individuals high up in cruising altitude would be able to make them out as a big semi transparent blue blob above the jungle canopy. Their destination was non other than the very heart of their tribe, since the cliffs were the only structures massive enough to hold the flock's combined total weight.

After a few minutes of intense flying, they could finally see the cliff's outlines. A few athletic and faster guards sped forward to notify the area about the situation and clear it from obstructions, preparing it for the tribe's arrival. They acted quickly and efficiently, and by the time the massive flock got within landing distance, the cliff was all but empty besides birds.

The wing flaps caused really intense air currents, and the individual birds really had to keep their focus to land within the turbulence, created when hundreds of wings disturbed the air before them. The 'civilians' moved over, giving Eduardo and his close group a clear path towards the center, where no doubt patrol birds will already be waiting.

They walked fast and soon enough got within earshot of Eduardo's best patrols, fighters and advisors. The advisors managed the tribe's internal troubles, and this was the biggest event which could happen within a tribe, so they were all called together. A large male with brownish green eyes, dark blue plumage and gray beak similar in age to Eduardo spoke up first, greeting his friend.

"Eduardo. We got the evacuation orders, the patrols and every volunteer we could muster is already racing to every edge of our territory to warn the flock. Everyone should be here within half an hour, tops. What's our situation?" The macaw's deep voice rumbled though the air, coated with years of experience and wisdom, but also uncertainty.

"Not good at all, Sebastian. Scrap part one of the evacuation right now. The humans are coming through the grove, it is probably already overrun as we speak. We will have to go forward with our reserves only." The tribe leader greeted his fellow macaw, his tone conveying anything but good news. The other elderly macaw just nodded his head in silence, understanding the severity of their situation perfectly. His face slowly changed and displayed worry very quickly after he thought what this implied though.

"Are you sure about this? Food has been scarce for years now, our reserves are not enough to even last us two months." Eduardo looked down at the ground, sighing heavily at the fact, but there was nothing he could do about it. At least that's what he initially thought before an idea popped into his mind.

"Maybe not. Roberto!" He called for his right hand man, who stood in attention the moment he heard his name being called. He made his way closer to the conversing macaws to hear them better.

"Sir?" He simply asked for instructions, not speaking any more unnecessarily. The tone Eduardo used was one of authority and not their usually lighter almost father to son tone, meaning this was very serious and high priority indeed.

"The grove is a no fly zone from now on. No macaw gets within a minute flying distance. I need birds to collect as much food as possible around the area, before the other tribes get their talons on them. In a day, we should have enough to get away from here." Jewel and Melisa overheard the conversation and their eyes widened at the plan presented.

Their faces were quickly covered in dread, which Eduardo picked it up instantly and wanted to ask what was wrong, but he was interrupted before he could do so. Roberto simply nodded, spreading his wings to prepare to follow through the order when Melisa grabbed him with her wings, preventing the blue macaw from flying away.

"NO! No no no. We can't stay here any longer. We need to leave NOW!" The dark feathered female exclaimed, her outburst taking them by surprise. Roberto folded his wings but stared at her with a confused look. Sebastian was next to question her sudden insubordination but this time Jewel interrupted them.

"She is right! Those humans are not just loggers, they have a lot of poachers with them. Mel and I got captured last night, that's why we didn't return. We got free less than an hour ago. They will continue onward and get us if we stay here." The explanation provided by Jewel was enough to clear up most of their confusion, but her reasons to say that were still largely unknown. The fact that they were both captured was worrying, since they were one of the fastest, most agile females within the tribe. Surely they understood that with their current food supply they wouldn't get really far.

"Jewel, how do you know that?" Eduardo questioned his daughter, who while was angry at first that her own father questioned her word, she quickly realized neither Melisa or she explain their reasons why they cannot stay another day. She closed her eyes while she took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts. She had to be really convincing, since she couldn't actually prove anything unless risking capture again. She reopened her eyes and looked at her childhood friend, who had the very same idea.

"The humans took us out of the air with some spider web thing before two of them spayed something in our faces, causing us to go to sleep. When we woke up, we were in one of those loud machines, with dozens of cages. All of them filled with birds, macaws, toucans and even eagles." Melisa spoke up once again, explaining how they got captured since it will be important later on. Meanwhile Jewel examined their expressions and concluded they followed.

"We learned from another bird why humans take us." Jewel continued, and her statement caused everyone to look towards her instantly with their full undivided attention. She understood what a bold statement that was, but this was her opportunity to inform her tribe of some new and probably important information which was previously a mystery to all of them.

"Turns out humans have something they call money. You can't eat it or anything, but it is so important to them, they want as much of it as possible. To them, we are very exotic and humans are willing to pay a lot of this money to get us. That's why poachers try to capture as many as they can." She continued, dropping revelation after revelation on her fellow blue macaws like a carpet bomb.

The birds who were listening started to put together what they previously knew and realized just how twisted and evil these humans actually were. At first, they believed humans ate them and it was just some sort of hunting. Now, it turns out they separate families, destroy tribes and ruin lives for selfish and greedy reasons alone. This infuriated many to no end, but they were all powerless to stop it.

"We can't stay here because they will find and catch us. Right now they are busy tearing down the grove. We can use this to buy us time and get out while we still can." Melisa took over and finished their reasoning. The two females kept their gaze on the blue macaw leader, watching his every reaction carefully. The group was silent for obvious reasons, but that only worried the females even more. They were terrified they will be dismissed.

"Very well. I trust you two. If there is consensus, we will begin evacuation as soon as possible." Eduardo gave in, causing both women to let out a deep sigh of relief. Not everyone was too happy with the decision though, but nobody had the guts to stand up against Eduardo at that point. The leader turned back towards his best advisor to get his input, but as it turned out he was one of those who disagreed.

"Putting two together, what Jewel and Melisa said is plausible, but what evidence is there to back it up? Who was this bird you two got the information from?.. And just wait a moment. How did you two escape from a human cage?" The elderly advisor held no such restraints and made sure to give voice to his opinion and question the validity of the explanation. This was about their survival after all.

Jewel glanced towards Melisa with uncertainty, silently asking her what to do. The darker female read her mind like an open book but was lost just like her. Under so much pressure neither of them knew if they could pull off a lie, but the truth was just as bizarre if not equally unbelievable. Jewel decided risking the truth was better in the long run, and got the conformation from her friend via a silent nod. At least she would back her crazy story up.

"I got the information from a bird called Daniel… a harpy eagle." She compacted all three questions into one response, but her voice trembled a bit halfway through. Her fears were confirmed when the total shock and disbelief settled on everyone's face around them.

"A harpy eagle?" Sebastian repeated with a very disregarding tone, pretending to making sure he heard it right. There was no need to speak, her silence was the answer others might have been looking for. This changed the whole flow of the conversation. Some birds even glared at them for making such a bogus claim up, but Eduardo was the most conflicted of them all. He knew his daughter would never lie, especially about something as important as this.

"Harpy eagle? Why would you trust a predator?" He questioned his daughter's sanity but to his surprise, the answer came immediately, with almost no time to think about the answer. Jewel must have prepared for this situation mentally before, he concluded.

"Because the eagle saved our and many other birds life. Well… I freed him, and he kept his word about freeing us in return… When we flew away, he could have attacked us but he didn't." Jewel answered the question as truthfully as possible, her sincerity causing a lot of blue macaws to re-evaluate their opinions about her statement. While it did help validate her claims, it was not enough to fully convince everyone, but Melisa stepped up to help.

"Not to mention the eagle understood exactly how a lock worked. The explanations he gave us were logical, he had no reason to lie to us, especially in that regard. He must have known a lot about humans." This caused both Sebastian and Eduardo to look at each other, before they looked at the rest of the advisors. With no one else speaking up, the leader continued the discussion.

"It settles it then. We will evacuate as soon as possible." Eduardo announced his final decision loudly, making sure everyone who needs to heard it. He examined his fellow macaws expressions and was pleased to find no opposition he could see from their faces. He wasted no time and turned towards his right hand man once again, now with a new order. "Roberto. I want every patrol to scout the perimeter and find us an exit route as far away from the humans as possible. I'm guessing the other tribes are in a similar situation, so get ready for a chaotic border."

"Understood." Roberto acknowledged the orders and was gone a second later, only turbulence was left in his wake. A big chunk of patrol birds followed suit and met up with him. As soon as the group was formed, they were already flying towards the border with lightning speed. Once they were out of sight, Eduardo turned around to face a close friend of Roberto's, who snapped to attention when he realized the elderly macaw will be addressing him.

"Esteban. I want every healthy adult male without a family to take care of on food carrying duty at once. I want the reserve trees to be empty when we depart." Esteban silently nodded and leaped off the cliff with a few others, relaying the order and news to their designated birds. The tribe leader's next order was issued towards his very own sister. Ordering her was a very rare occurrence and caused quite a few surprised faces. "Mimi. I need every female and elderly to go and fetch as many leafs as possible. We need proper insulation for the unhatched eggs and flightless chicks."

"Sure thing, Eddie." She responded quickly and turned away to gather up the necessary man power to finish her given task. The next birds on the roaster were a couple of patrol birds who stayed behind. They were given a more tedious and perhaps dangerous task, but it had to be done non the less.

"I need all of you to go into the other tribe territories and request a hearing with leadership if possible. We need to know what the other tribe leaders standpoints are before we make a move."

"Yes sir." The reply came in unison and the final group of patrols were gone from the cliff as well. By now the only ones remaining were either the too old, too young or families with chicks to take care of. Eduardo's remaining advisors scattered all around the territory, and for the first time today, the elderly macaw could finally rest for a moment. Until the patrol returns with more information that is.

He glanced towards the distance and could see the rising smoke columns and periodic explosion and screams coming from their primary food source. He heard talons scraping the cliff rock and recognized it as his daughter's. The next few minutes were spent in complete silence before Jewel broke it.

"Was it this bad when… The day mother…" She quietly asked, unable to properly form the question she wanted answered. Her voice was soft but breaking, and her father was powerless. He would give everything in the world to change their past, to see his daughter truly happy, but life is never like that. All he could do was drown the memories away for both of them, but this situation did the complete opposite.

"No… This time, the humans came in loud and far away enough from our home for us to get ready… That night, it was different. The patrols never saw them coming, we were all caught off guard…" Eduardo tried to answer her question, but the response came out just as hard and with stuttering. It was only now he realized that they never really talked about this, even though it took a giant toll on both of them.

"I was naive enough to think we were free from humans. The last time we moved was back when your grandfather was alive and going strong. I should have been more prepared, but I was not. A lot of good birds paid the price with their lives that night. Including your mother…" He continued rambling on, not even caring what he was saying at that point, the words just rolling off his tongue. Jewel looked up at her father and could almost physically see the pain coming from them as he remembered and probably relived that night.

Jewel was shocked after hearing the sentences and through them, his thoughts. She always knew he felt guilty but never would have thought that he blamed himself for that tragedy to that degree. There was not much she could say to make things better, instead she just wrapped a wing around the elderly macaw, giving him the most loving embrace a daughter could offer. He returned the gesture and they just stayed silent for tens of minutes, enjoying the ironic peace and quiet.

Their moment couldn't last forever, as they heard wing flaps behind them and talons scraping the rock as a couple of birds landed. "Sir?" One of them politely asked, praying they didn't just anger the Spix's macaw leader. They let go of each other and Eduardo took a deep breath, trying to exhale everything bad out of his system. He turned around and faced the birds, his silence and facial expression telling them to continue.

"We all got back from the neighboring tribes. Well, actually we only got to the border, because it turned out the other leaders had the same idea as you, sir. They will be setting off to the secondary area in a few minutes. We should get going too if we want to participate." Eduardo listened to the report and thought for a moment what the macaw meant by secondary area, but soon enough he remembered. He silently nodded and pointed his right wing to an area a few meters from their position, and the patrol birds got the message. As they walked away to get ready to depart once again, Eduardo called Sebastian over. The older macaw flew there as fast as his body allowed him.

"Any updates?" The advisor politely asked his friend and superior, since he watched Eduardo interact with the patrol group. The tribe leader confirmed his question and got right down to business.

"Yes. Just as we thought, the other tribes also want a meeting. I will be going there, so until I get back you are in charge. Get Roberto involved once he returns, and make sure to ready the tribe by the time I got back. I have a feeling we will be moving soon after." Sebastian confirmed he heard the order and flew off to take the load off Eduardo. With that out of the way, Eduardo turned towards Jewel, but neither of them had anything to say to each other. They silently said their temporary goodbyes and parted ways. Jewel looked around the cliff to see if she could help somewhere, while her father met up with the patrol birds and took off towards a previously unknown location.

* * *

**Northern tribe territory**

A female blue macaw was deep asleep inside her hollow, completely oblivious of the current events happening around her. She could periodically hear a loud thunder and the occasional chattering outside, but she was too exhausted to get up and check it out. Her exhaustion was well deserved, turns out she just became the proud mother of a new clutch the night before.

Her mate was right next to her, laying next to her sleeping form, a wing covering her like a protective blanket. He too was sleeping, trying to ignore the outside world, savoring the precious moments they enjoyed together. The turning point was when a small, but lively blue bundle stirred due to the outside stimuli in a smaller nest next to the two sleeping adults. It was a chick, about a year old with fully developed feathers. This female chick had enough and woke up, glancing outside with her almost golden eyes but failing to find anything which could explain what she heard.

Another boom echoed from the distance, frightening the chick to her core. It was an instinctive fear like she never experienced before, so the child slowly got out of her nest and walked over to her relatively big father and mother. She softly pecked her mother's head with her beak, hoping to wake her up. She was motionless at first, then she began to wake up but instead of opening her eyes, she nudged her mate.

"Uh… Carlos, Sofia needs something. Take care of it, please." She spoke up still half asleep, causing her mate to wake up as well. The male slowly opened up his emerald green eyes, adjusting them to the bright environment around them. When he could properly focus, he firstly saw the outlines and later on his first born child's form in front of him.

"Sofia. Why are you up so early, darling? Are you hungry?" Carlos greeted his daughter and slowly but steadily rose up from the ground, looking around and finding a bunch of brazil nuts in the hollow. He concluded it was not hunger which was bothering his child.

"Daddy, I'm scared." The chick replied as she walked closer, burying her small head in his father's plumage in an attempt to hide. He was stunned for a moment, but wrapped his wings around the small child in an attempt to comfort her.

"What is it? Bad dream?" He questioned her further, but got his answer when he too heard the thunder outside their hollow. He found it odd, as the sky was crystal clear with zero clouds anywhere. Suddenly his instincts kicked in and a gut feeling tore through him, making him wince.

"That." Sofia replied, confirming the sound was the source of her discomfort. Meanwhile the dread inside Carlos slowly but steadily increased, causing him to go outside and investigate. He turned around and slowly nudged his wife, knowing well she was tired and will probably be grumpy. But right now he had more pressing matters than his wife's potential backlash.

"Livia, honey please wake up. There is a situation." He spoke gently but with confidence, causing her mate to finally give up and open up her dark brown eyes. They focused on him and as expected, they were less than happy. She slowly got up, making sure to not damage the precious bundle under her. She glared at her mate when she finally stretched.

"I hope you have a very good reason." She stated angrily, looking into her mate's eyes. The serious look in them instantly vanished her grumpiness, because that stare was something he reserved for only truly important situations. Once her gaze softened it was replaced with slight concern. "What is it?"

"I have a bad feeling in my gut. Stay here with Sofia, please. I'm flying to check out what's going on." Carlos answered her question, and the female obeyed the command, taking the young chick from her father so he can move freely. The blue macaw walked over to the edge of the hollow and looked outside.

The scenery was nothing interesting, but he could see a lot of birds going about. Most were Spix's macaws, but since they lived close to the border he could see military as well as blue and yellow macaws zipping around with haste. He stretched his wings a bit before leaping off his branch, joining the flock in the air. He made his way up beyond his tree's canopy to see what was on the other side. The sight before him froze the blood in his veins, almost causing him to lose focus and fall down.

The thick cloud of smoke tainted the beautiful blue skies, and he could finally make out the distant ambient noise. It was screams and panicked voices. He was about to dive back down when a group of blue macaws appeared in the distance, calling him over. Carlos could see they came from the smoke's direction, so they must know what happened.

"Attention! Evacuation in progress. Report to your nearest patrol now!" He could hear them yell, which completely shocked him. He had to exert a lot of self control to not fire away his questions right there in the air. He landed on a nearby branch and met up with the group, with Esteban in the lead.

"What is going on here?" Carlos finally asked after waiting for the group to fold their wings. He could see a slight exhaustion on all of them, which means they were doing this for quite a while now.

"Humans were spotted at the border, and they are cutting down the grove as we speak. Eduardo ordered a full evacuation. You have family?" Esteban spoke up, giving him a run down version with the core details in place. The blue macaw understood the situation and replied as fast as his beak allowed him to.

"Yes. A mate, a year old chick and a fresh clutch of three." The messenger processed his answer, categorizing him immediately. He wasted no time in giving out the necessary orders, which the male eagerly awaited.

"I see. Congratulations… Now, prepare your family for transportation. If you have any excess food, leave it in community spots, designated birds will carry them away. Get your family to the tribe center, that is the staging area." Esteban congratulated the father, before turning back to serious and telling the macaw just what he needs to do. The male nodded his head in conformation, and there was no need for further conversation between them. The patrol leaped in the air, continuing their way around the tribe while the father dived below the canopy.

Carlos flew and darted inside the hollow as fast as he could, which managed to startle his wife and child a bit. They were eager to hear what he had to say, but his expression was far from calm. Livia was impatient and didn't wait for her husband to catch his breath before questioning him. "What's going on? What's with all the commotion outside?"

"Livia, get Sofia and our eggs ready. Humans attacked the grove. We are evacuating before the day ends. I'm leaving two brazil nuts here for breakfast, the rest has to go to public pick up points." The male informed his family, trying to coat the concern in his voice, making sure not to frighten their young daughter any more than they need to. His mate just nodded silently, understanding what needs to be done, and done fast.

* * *

**A barren cliff, north of the Spix's macaw tribe border**

There was a very short period in macaw history when the Pit of Doom was under the direct control of a tribe. It was generally decided and accepted that it was a neutral zone where the different tribes would meet up and discuss their problems. Territory disputes, war declarations, alliance forging or discussions concerning all tribes would be held there. The current situation was probably the biggest crisis this land faced since the natural disaster which shook Amazonia centuries before. Unfortunately, the humans have attacked close to the Pit, making it an unsafe location to hold any sort of meeting.

Luckily, there was a backup location. A less known and used but still prevalent terrain feature which was perfect for meetings. This was a barren rock, void of any vegetation for reasons the macaws never knew. Currently, a dozen or so birds were standing on the formation from multiple species. The tension was thick enough that your could cut it with a knife, and the reasons were both internal and external.

The various tribes just learned about the suddenly declared war between the scarlet and blue macaw tribe, and the other leaders were in shock that Eduardo was the one who initiated it. After hearing out the reasons they calmed down somewhat, imagining themselves in his shoes which gave some sense to the decision.

Despite this, Felipe and Eduardo ended the war right there and then, making it possibly the shortest war in their recorded or even unrecorded history. The birds were engaged in a heavy debate with each other regarding the new external threat they had to face together.

"I had it with these humans. We mass several thousand individuals. We could overrun them in a matter of seconds if we wanted to. I say we defend our home." A rather large but young military macaw suggested, looking through the other leaders expressions, but unable to find a consensus.

"Diego is right. I say we swoop in and flush them our of our land." Felipe was the next to speak up, agreeing with the military macaw. It looked like they were the only ones to agree though, because both the blue and yellow macaw leader and Eduardo seemed to disagree, deadlocking the situation.

"Nay. That would surely cost us casualties, and if Eduardo's reports are right, the grove is already gone, the damage is done." The blue and yellow voted against the attack, bringing up a fair point and a good counter argument. By this point they all knew what the Spix's macaw would reply but listened to it anyway. It looked like it was elderly caution versus youthful aggression.

"Manuel is correct, the grove is gone for good. I already ordered a no fly zone, and if you all take my advice, you should too. The whole escalation with Felipe was the direct result of humans. They have poachers with them." The last sentence sent chills down their spines, suddenly the situation just turned a lot worse. Sure, they all knew out of all the tribes the blue macaws were the most sought after, but that didn't mean the rest would be completely safe.

Diego and Felipe looked at each other and silently conversed, arriving to the mutual decision to withdraw their attack plan. But with defense out of the window and their food source decimated, the only logical step left was to flee the area for possibly decades.

"I think we all know what is left to do. We have no choice in the matter. We must accept that, for better or worse, this may very well be the last meeting our tribes take part in for either generations to come, or maybe ever." Eduardo broke the silence once more, conveying his intentions as straight forward as possible. Neither leader took it too kindly but couldn't argue against it. The Spix's tribe was the latest addition to their small little world, so for them to move along was not something too bad. But the others were here for who knows how long, and they all have a history which was just as rich in culture as in war.

All of them understood this, even though neither tribe was on particularly good terms at the moment. But the damned humans, which seemed like a threat so far away it almost appeared as fantasy created by the blue macaws, arrived, and with them their world came crashing down in flames. After this, there was nothing left to discuss, and Manuel decided it was best if they brought the meeting to a close. "Aye. It is the only option. The surrounding territories have very scarce food supplies, which cannot feed more than one tribe at a time. Our only sensible option is to move outwards, and find a new home there."

For a moment, there was total agreement, but a second later Eduardo realized just what the blue and yellow macaw was implying. A sudden outburst overtook him, and the raised coarse voice gave it away to the others.

"Wait a minute! That leaves us to go towards the west. That is the barren lands! Hundreds if not thousands of kilometers of literally no food. It would be the end of us!" The other macaws looked down on the ground, unable to make eye contact with Eduardo, because they all knew he was right. But in this situation, every leader had to keep their own tribe's interest in front, and there was simply no way to help the blue macaws without jeopardizing their own people.

His intense stare was kept on the birds for several seconds, but he soon realized that boat had already sailed. He let out a frustrated sigh, turned around and motioned with his wings to his bodyguards that it was time for them to go. The other macaws could finally look up but the guilt was still there as they watched the blue macaws disappear between the jungle canopy.

"Did we just cause a genocide?" Diego spoke up after what seemed like an eternity, his voice quiet but with a very sad and guilty undertone. The uncomfortable silence returned for several seconds, before all of them finally moved and began to get distance between each other to take off.

"Only time will tell." Manuel responded to the question, and with no further words, all three tribe leaders left the area, ending the last tribal meeting in this area of the Amazon.

* * *

**Tribe center, cliffs**

If we put every air traffic control tower in the world in this one place ,that still wouldn't be enough to control the amount of animals within such a small air space. In fact, for human eyes, the air looked like a chaotic tornado which picked up hundreds if not thousands of birds. For the macaws, this was a perfectly constructed system of highways and paths, allowing a massive quantity of birds to fly by each other without incident.

The cliff started to populate once more, this time with either families or birds with the all so important brazil nuts they needed for survival. Guards and volunteers helped sort out the massive flow of birds, grouping everyone nicely in a way that resources, help or information can travel quickly between them.

The teams organized by Mimi gathered massive quantities of leafs and other insulating materials, creating small but durable and transportable nests for the unhatched eggs or flightless chicks. The younger adult females or capable elderly helped the available fathers in transporting the finished contraptions back to their hollows, where their mates were already ready to move out of their homes which sometimes gone back a generation.

Jewel currently had three brazil nuts dangling from her beak, looking throughout the cliff to find her destination. She decided to help out with distributing the final meal before their departure as they awaited her father to return from the meeting. She snaked through the increasingly dense group of macaws, until she found the location in question. Jewel walked over and placed down the nuts next to three families, who were busy keeping their children calm or even allowing them to sleep.

Her eyes were stuck on a small chick currently fast asleep in his mother's wings. A small smile crept up on the side of her beak, admiring how the small bundle could be so peaceful in a situation like this. The mother in question caught her stare and smiled back, introducing the chick. "His name is Lorenzo. He is just like his father, well behaved and always calm. So beautiful."

"He is beautiful indeed. I cannot even imagine how he can sleep in a situation like this." Jewel agreed, admitting her confusion. This caused the mother to laugh.

"I have no idea, but thank the heavens for it. I'm not sure how much I could calm him down otherwise… Thank you for the food, it means a lot." The female made sure to politely thank Jewel for all the trouble she gone through getting them much needed food. She was more than happy to help, since these birds practically woke up to alarms about needing to move away.

"Absolutely no problem, I'm happy to help. I should get going now, there is probably more food to be spread around." Jewel replied, and after the macaws said their goodbyes, she flew away back towards one of the food piles to begin her next trip when she spotted something odd in her peripheral vision. The air was full of moving birds, so she landed to take a better look.

Soon enough she found the anomaly she managed to somehow spot. It was a small chick, from the looks of it barely old enough to have full feathers, completely alone, looking around with a panicked expression and watery eyes. She made her way towards the chick as fast as possible until she got within earshot.

"Hey. What's wrong little one?" She spoke up behind the chick, speaking softly and bending down a little to not appear as threatening. The child slowly turned around and it broke her heart when she saw the kid was indeed crying.

"I lost my mommy. I can't find her." The chick replied to the adult between sobs, using her wings to wipe away the tears. Jewel was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to do. There were hundreds of macaws around them, how will she find the chick's parents? She decided to investigate the issue and get as much information as possible.

"OK. Let's go and find them together!" She offered, but the chick was hesitant, the face conveying distrust towards the adult. She kept reading the child's body language and could see it was conflicted. She was about to ask what was wrong but the chick beat her to it.

"My daddy said not to speak to strangers." The child innocently replied, still conflicted on what it should actually do. Jewel was a bit relieved mentally hearing the statement. _At least the parents taught the child proper safety._ She thought to herself, thinking how to approach the issue most effectively.

"I see. Well, let's not be strangers then. My name is Jewel. What is yours?" She asked the chick, making sure to keep her distance to not frighten it more than it already is. She was hesitant once again but managed to overcome the fear and answered the adult.

"Sofia." The little girl replied, a bit more confident now but still not moving from her position.

Jewel smiled at the progress they made. Now she can properly find out where the child's parents are. "That is a beautiful name, Sofia. So, where did you see your parents last time?"

The chick nervously looked around, trying to remember where she saw her parents. After a while Jewel started to be concerned, because the girl stayed silent. She understood that she can't fully blame the child, but if they have no lead the chance of finding her parents are very slim at best. Fortunately the child fixed her gaze on a point and raised her left wing towards the direction.

"There." She simply said, after which she turned back towards the adult, as if asking for guidance. Meanwhile Jewel looked towards the direction and was relieved to see an area where families landed. That narrows their search by a lot. The bad news was that the area was pretty far away from them going on foot, but with so many birds in one place she didn't want to risk flying with a chick between her talons. She concluded their best option was simply walking. Understanding there is not much more she can ask the child, she decided it was time they got moving.

"Alright, that's where we go then. Come on, I'm sure your parents are there, already waiting for you." She extended a wings towards the direction the child pointed to, inviting her to join the adult. As expected, she was hesitant at first, but the internal fear of being alone was too much to fight, and the child's natural tendency to trust anyone won out. She nodded her head silently in agreement, and quickly walked next to Jewel, almost bumping into her as the two macaws began their journey together.

"If you spot your parents make sure to tell me, OK?" Jewel asked Sofia a favor, which she agreed to do, since she actually knew how her parents looked. As the duo made their ways around the cliff, both got to see the full extent of the evacuation. Sofia had no idea or could really comprehend what was going on, while Jewel was both fascinated and terrified by the situation. In one end, she knew she had to re-live that horrible and fateful day as a chick, but on the other she finally saw and understood just how incredibly carrying and cohesive their tribe was. Just like external issues, there were quite a few internal disagreements within, but everyone was able to see past that and place the tribe's survival in front of their personal gains.

The tribe looked more like a penguin colony than a macaw flock, but there was simply not enough space on trees to prepare for an event of this size. A new group of dozens of macaws arrived in the designated landing area, and soon enough their paths were crowded with macaws being led towards their resting place. Due to the crowd, Jewel instinctively brought the chick closer to her side with her right wing, and it was at that moment she realized this was probably how Sofia got lost in the first place. She couldn't blame her or her parents, this situation was chaotic to say the least.

She looked up and saw another group of adult males bringing a ton of a brazil nuts between their talons and beaks, flying overhead to a food pile a few dozens of meters from their position. They hovered above the pile before dropping the food, letting it fall and find its rest naturally. Guards were placed around the area to keep potential thieves at bay, and from the looks of it, it was working really well. The transporters then flew off towards the edges of the cliff, waiting patiently for patrol birds to tell them where to go next.

If someone arrived just now, they would be rightfully confused why the tribe was preparing to move, but the humans in the distance made their presence known every five to ten minutes with explosions, the distant sound of chainsaws and giant old trees falling down, hitting the ground with a deep rumbling thud. Every single boom was coming closer and closer, causing the blue macaws to pick up their pace.

Jewel made sure to ignore them as much as possible, focusing instead on her current objective. The two females managed to squeeze their way through the thick crowd, arriving at a smaller clearing. She finally let go of the chick, who used the opportunity now that her vision was not obstructed by feathers to look around in all directions, desperately searching for any sign of her parents. Even though Jewel knew the chick felt safe next to her, she also understood very well that there isn't a thing in the world which could replace someone's true parents.

The tribe leader's daughter followed suit and looked around the area, scanning the individuals one by one to find anything out of place. Almost every kind of reaction could be seen on the blue macaw faces, but a couple stood out like a sore thumb from the sea of blue. Their face displayed distress and panic, but somehow it felt like it was not because of the human activities. She observed them closer and thought she saw them looking around as if searching while saying something or calling out, but she was too far away to make out what they were saying next to the flock's ambient noise.

Sofia glanced up to see what Jewel was looking at, and after getting the direction, she too turned her little head towards the area the adult was fixated on. Her heart started to beat faster when she realized just who she was seeing. It was non other than her mother, and from the looks of it she was distressed. The child started to jump up and down, poking Jewel's plumage to get her attention. "My mommy! That's my mommy there!"

"Then let's go, hurry now." Jewel encouraged the little girl to move ahead, keeping an eye out to the worried parents, making sure to not lose them from her sight. They moved through a smaller crowd which was between them, but after they cleared it the mother just happened to look in the direction and her eyes widened.

"Sofia! Carlos, I found her!" She yelled out, and that volume was finally loud enough for Jewel to hear. The male turned around so fast it almost looked like he pulled a muscle, but it didn't bother him at all. The two adults excused themselves as they moved through birds, and by now the little chick got enough confidence to leave Jewel's side, running forward until she practically jumped between her worried mother's wings.

"Baby, I'm so glad you're here. Oh my, it was all my fault, I'm such a bad mother…" She said between small sobs, tears of joy flowing down her cheeks. The male walked next to her but glanced forward and realized Jewel was walking towards them and her daughter came from the same direction. He wanted to greet her but she beat him to it, although it was not directed at him.

"You don't seem like a bad mother to me. These crowded areas are torture, could have happened to anyone." She showed a warm smile seeing the mother and her child back together again. The mother looked up and finally noticed the other female, but she was shocked when she recognized who it was.

"Jewel? You found Sofia?" She asked in disbelief and with a bit of a panicked voice, but received a small laugh from the leader's daughter in return. She started to wave around her wings in denial.

"Oh, please. It was no problem at all. I was just giving brazil nuts to a macaw family when I saw your daughter all alone, lost. I'm happy she is back where she belongs." Her sincerity calmed the mother down somewhat, and her mate stepped up to finish her apology nonetheless and properly introduce themselves.

"Still, thank you very much for helping her. We were going crazy, our clutch just arrived yesterday and we had to get it here… It was a mess. Anyways, I'm Carlos, my wife here is Livia and you already met our daughter, Sofia." Jewel's eyes widened in surprise by the mention of their eggs, and it made her respect them even more, thinking how much of a stress that might be to go through this whole mess.

"Wow. Congratulations on the clutch. Are they safe?"

"Yes, thank you for asking. They got wrapped not too long ago, now that we know Sofia is OK, we'll probably eat and wait until the signal is sent. Thanks to you, we can rest in peace." Livia spoke up once again, getting over her sudden shock of meeting the leader's daughter. Although there was never a legitimate royal status within the tribe, the family members of the current leader were always treated a bit differently by the rest of the blue macaws. Some liked the special treatment while others didn't.

She continued to converse with the parents for a few more minutes, asking them about how life was once she learned they lived at the tribe's edge. She always wanted to live there since the birds actually got to meet macaws from other tribes regularly. As the daughter of the tribe leader, she was practically always in the center or near it, shielded from outside influence.

During their conversation, the air traffic started to clear up as the entirety of the Spix's macaw flock arrived. The families were located within the center of the giant flock, followed by the birds appointed to food and finally the patrols and guards on the edge, keeping a high alert for intruders. Jewel glanced towards the area where the leadership was, and she could see movement. As much as she was enjoying the company, she realized they probably have things to do just like her. She politely ended the discussion and was preparing to leave when the child spoke up.

"Thank you for helping me." Sofia joined in the conversation at the end, as she felt the need to thank her too. Jewel smiled at the gesture, surprised how well mannered the child was for her age.

"You are welcome Sofia. Now, listen to your parents, alright?" The chick silently nodded, promising to keep up the good behavior. The adults made their goodbyes and Jewel flew off, meeting up with Melisa halfway who just finished the last series of food distributing. The two women just got back to the center area when Jewel saw her father appear between the jungle canopy.

She was happy to see him but when he got closer she could see the absolute rage and sorrow on his face, which caused a very bad feeling to form in her gut. She patiently waited for him to land, and by that time Sebastian, the other advisors, Mimi, Esteban and Roberto walked up next to her, all waiting to hear what he had to say in total silence.

Eduardo landed on the cliff with more force than usual, which was typical for him when he was mad. The question was if he was mad at them or the other leaders, or maybe both. Once he looked around and saw everyone was there who needed to know, he took a deep breath, calming himself down somewhat since they didn't deserve his rage. "The decision was made. Every tribe will flee the area outwards." He informed his tribe leadership, but it didn't take them long to realize just why he was angry. Reactions very similar to his own were voiced in the next few seconds.

"That's the barren lands!"

"We will starve that way!"

"There is no home for us there, only death!"

He let them vent their anger and frustration, before he held up a wing, instantly silencing everyone before word gets out and they cause a flock wide panic, something that would be catastrophic right now.

"I know the dangers, but we do not have a choice in the matter. This scenario was well known ever since we led the flock here. There was a reason the other tribes were willing to allow us to move in. My father was confident if it ever came to this, we would prevail this journey, just as we did before." The semi impromptu speech calmed down most individuals, allowing them to think logically again. Eduardo wasted no time and continued with work.

"Esteban. Is the flock ready to fly?" He asked the young adult, who looked at Mimi to get her side of the story. Eduardo's sister just nodded, telling him the young were secured. He quickly came forward before giving his reply.

"Yes sir. Everyone we know of is here. We are almost ready to fly off by your signal." The tribe leader nodded in approval, and turned towards his right hand man, who already knew what the question was, and after getting an opening, he spoke up.

"We scouted out every border, including the western line. No humans or macaws in the area. The line is free to cross." Eduardo summarized their current status and concluded they are as ready as they can be.

"Perfect. Everyone, get the last pieces of food ready and make sure nobody is lost. We leave within the hour." The group turned around and flew in every direction to prepare the flock for departure.

* * *

**Ten minutes later**

As they were getting the final preparations done, suddenly every bird looked towards the direction where a new scream appeared. It was none other than a patrol macaw, who kept repeating the same words over and over as he and his partner raced back towards the flock.

"HUMANS! THEY ARE HERE!" Just as he managed to get the attention of his flock, a net flew towards him from below, trapping the unsuspecting macaw. This was followed by even more nets coming from all sort of angles from the grove's direction. The blue macaws were stunned for a moment before Eduardo snapped out of it and realized just what was happening.

"**EVACUATE! EVERYONE, GO, GO GO!**" He yelled from the top of his lungs, and their leader's harsh and deep voice brought them back to reality. A giant blanket of blue suddenly and slowly rose from the cliff's surface like a carpet being removed from the floor. The birds assigned to food picked up as many nuts as possible, while the families in the center hurriedly grabbed their offspring and took towards the sky.

The truly massive flock caused a lot of air currents, shaking the tree canopies around them, disrupting the human poachers as they were not ready for such a mass. This greatly slowed down their work, allowing most birds to escape the area. In less than a minute, every Spix's macaw was in the air, and the giant cloud of birds slowly rose above the jungle canopy, moving away from the area which they called their home for years.

In the end, the poachers only got their hands on about fifteen unfortunate blue macaws, who were too close to the edge when the surprise attack happened. They could only watch as their brothers and sisters flew away. They sat down on the ground, still trapped in the human made nets, waiting for the two legged mammalians to pick up and imprison them.

* * *

…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…

* * *

**Wow. First off, I have no idea what has gotten into me. This chapter was supposed to be a lot shorter, but I didn't know how to properly separate it, so it turned out to be my longest chapter written as of yet! Now that our well known tribe is on the way, I think it is time to see what the other one is doing.**

**OrangeMacawWorld:**

Thank you for the detailed review once more!

Nigel was a carnivore who had motives (even if they were twisted & evil), a personality and shown the capacity to be reasoned with. I saw no reason why an eagle would be different.

The paragraph issue is now fixed and honestly, I have no idea why I did that. I don't even remember the reason for it. Went back and changed it, it should not happen again (intentionally).

I have been thinking about uploading a picture, because ironically I'm the type of person who can spend hours customizing everything he has, let that be a phone, an OS, a game character or whatever. I just didn't find or make anything which could represent me accurately, and I'd like to keep my private life separate so I can't use my default goto profile picture. But I will definitely look into it by the next chapter, because I see your point.

**monsterjamvadim:**

All will be revealed in due time.


	4. A friendship almost broken

**Chapter 4**

A friendship almost broken

**Disclaimer**

_I do not own Rio._

* * *

**Eight years before the Exodus, two thousand kilometers to the west**

"Hurry up guys! Last one to the edge is a rotten egg!" A high pitched feminine voice rang through the jungle, the tone indicating it belonged to a preteen child. About a dozen or so Spix's macaw chicks whizzed passed the thinner jungle surprisingly fast for their age. The mixed group of boys and girls were obviously playing, giggling and laughing as they seemed to be racing against each other.

The birds were dodging branches and tree barks, even the occasional adult who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. For and outsider, this looked like a very reckless and dangerous thing to so, since there was no sign of any adult supervision whatsoever. However, there was a good reason these chicks could afford to fly aimlessly without a care in the world.

The territory they were soaring through fell under the control of a Spix's macaw tribe, which was thought to be the only flock left in the Amazon jungle. There were whispers and tales, sometimes the occasional claim of sightings regarding other blue macaws to the east, but they were never confirmed and thus were stuck being a rumor at best. The tribe was nowhere near the size of the biggest known groups, quite the contrary actually.

The surrounding lands were occupied by other species, and just like their eastern brothers and sisters, land disputes and violence was not a stranger to them. Under normal circumstances, flocks of small size didn't last very long, usually they were expelled or even out right killed by their enemies via sheer numbers alone. But these blue macaws had a very big advantage over the other tribes; They were not afraid to interact with anything human related.

The chicks continued their small competition, but as time went on their path was getting more and more obstructed. The relatively flat area with the occasional tree and mostly taller earthly vegetation gave way to a denser jungle, forcing them to pay better attention to the environment than out speeding each other. This resulted in a mostly fixed position, with rarely any overtaking happening via speed alone. Now, the kids gained advantages by flying in the optimal curves and angles. After a while of this enduring race, a very wide, strange spiderweb like structure was uncovered by their vision, which was a mix of mostly brown and sometimes shining gray, coupled with smaller vegetation once again. It stretched all around their horizon, giving it the appearance as if it was never ending. They recognized it as something their parents called a fence.

The children slowly but steadily reduced their speed, seeing that their finish line was just up ahead. It was a small boulder sticking out of the ground, barren from any vegetation minus light moss coverage. The female chick in the lead with light blue feathers, gray beak and golden eyes was first to fly over it, quickly turning around with a U turn and cheering wildly as she did so. The rest of the group was less enthusiastic, since that was the finish line they were trying to get to first.

"Aaaaand Diana won… Again. Nobody seen that one coming." One of the chicks exclaimed with fake excitement, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he landed on the boulder and began preening his developing dark blue feathers a second later. He rolled his blue eyes once he saw the young girl's reaction, quickly glancing over to watch as the other kids landed on the boulder to catch their breaths. Some just laid out on the rock while others with a bit more energy sat down.

"You are just mad because I beat you again, aren't you?" The winner continued to grin as she flew back down after getting rid of her excess speed, joining her friend group as they calmly rested from the taxing race. The chicks were panting at first but their breathing soon became regular, allowing them to speak properly without interruption.

"I'm not mad. I just don't think it's fair. You are at least half a day older than all of us here." The boy responded back, attempting to find a good excuse for saying his previous statement, even though it didn't really stand up to scrutiny at all. He was hoping the others would just drop it, but unfortunately for him, someone had to point it out to his dismay.

"Half a day of development cannot account for her better average stamina and endurance Lucas." A boy spoke up from behind them, walking beside a pouting Lucas and a proud Diana to look forward with no obvious target in sight.

"Oh zip it with those big fancy words, will you Blu?" Lucas was not pleased by the comment, but although his voice appeared to be harsh at first, deep down he meant no hostility towards the blue macaw. The group knew this, which was why nobody stopped him and why Blu took no offense to the comment, lightly chuckling instead.

"So, what do we do now?" A female a bit younger than the group's average age asked out loud, switching the topic and causing all of them to realize just how bored they would be unless they found something to do. Problem was, nobody planned the activities in advance, resulting in an awkward silence as they tried to come up with something entertaining to do.

"I know! Let's go look for a pond somewhere!" A boy suddenly spoke up, enthusiastically jumping up and curling one of his wings to form a fist in the air. He phrased the sentence to sound like a good challenge, something which was irresistible for a child to deny. Naturally, his idea was not met with any objection so the children leaped into action right away, not wasting a second.

"Good idea. You stink anyway, so it will do some good." A girl commented on the sidelines before she took off, causing the whole group to laugh at the boy's expense. Of course, the young boy was not amused one bit.

"HEY! I DON'T STINK!" He yelled out loud, but by that time the others have already scattered in every way possible. He just sighed in frustration and took off into the air himself, flying in a direction where the least birds went, increasing his chances of finding a good spot.

By that time, Blu was already far away from the boulder, scouting the area with his eyes for anything which might resemble water, either flowing or still. After flying for minutes on end, he couldn't find a single drop of water no matter how hard he tried. According to his mother, rain was a bit rarer than when she was a child, but finding a puddle shouldn't be that hard. Blu started to regret his decision to fly towards the border, but before he could change his mind and turn around, something caught his interest.

The young macaw instinctively slowed down to get a better look at whatever alerted him. Once he could focus better, he realized the formation he was looking at was not water, but it was a very unusual structure and warranted some examination. He considered and concluded he had enough time to check it out and still make progress on his original objective.

The formation was a bunch of dead tree branches put together with mud and leaves on top of it, basically creating a not so waterproof but acceptable shelter from the elements. The appearance indicated it was not used for a very long time, and mother nature was in the process of reclaiming it unless it was fixed up. Blu softly landed a few meters from the structure, cautiously walking towards one of the bigger holes in the side wall which resembled an entrance.

He stopped walking when he realized there was something sticking out of the dirt a bit to his right, the shape being completely unnatural and out of place. He turned away from the shelter and inspected the anomaly by stepping closer. The macaw removed twigs, leafs and other debris, uncovering something which was both familiar and unfamiliar to him. It was a human made object, but that was all he could conclude. The child could identify strange symbols of a different color on the side, something his father told him humans called letters, and they apparently somehow conveyed sounds.

Blu's curiosity was now over the roof and he decided to tinker with it. After gripping and feeling it out, the young macaw soon realized it was not one solid object, but something with a separate top firmly placed on it. He carefully jammed a talon between the fine nook, wiggling his claw a bit to make some space. Once he had a solid grip on the top part, Blu pulled on it as hard as he possibly could. After a few seconds of intense struggling, his small body pulled together enough strength to remove part of the lid. With less force holding it down, the rest separated with less and less force required. Once the lid was completely removed, he regained his balance in time to avoid falling on his back. The newly exposed surface revealed even more puzzling sights, but before he could continue examining the contents, he realized how much time had passed.

"I can't waste time doing this." He admitted to himself loudly, taking a few steps backwards to give him enough space to lift off the ground. While he was dying to find out what this box was, he didn't want to be left behind by his friend group. Blu quickly memorized the surrounding area before he leaped in the air, continuing his search for water. He had to scout his part of the jungle before the time was up.

* * *

**Half an hour later**

Turns out Blu was not too far off from a rather big pond for macaw chick standards. In the end it was Lucas who found it, but the location was close enough to the strange shelter that Blu could return there later if he felt like it. The kids were now enjoying the impromptu bath time, giggling and laughing all the way through it. Some were enjoying the cool water against the hot and humid air, while others were actively spraying it on each other or swimming around in circles. They were completely oblivious to the fact that two pair of eyes were watching them from the denser part of the jungle in complete silence and stillness.

"What do you think? Agustin dropped by about half an hour ago, he said the patrol is nowhere near us. We got a clear chance here." One of the spying birds spoke up, his masculine voice barely audibly at all. No one could hear him unless they were within a very close proximity.

"Are you serious? They are kids for fuck's sake. Our mission is to keep an eye on the patrols and get out, not to start an incident." The spy's partner replied with a very agitated and disgusted tone, not approving whatever his partner was apparently suggesting.

"Oh come on, don't be a fool Pablo, these are Spix's macaw chicks. Their next generation, their future. We take them hostage, our enemy will not dare to do anything. We can finally have a bargaining chip!" The first spy explained the value his suggestion would be worth with his partner, but the coldness of his voice and general lack of empathy made Pablo's blood boil. If this wasn't a mission and they weren't in enemy territory, he would have surely punch the guy out cold.

"Or we will anger them enough that they launch a full out attack in revenge. Don't be stupid Ugo." Pablo shot back, trying to reason with the younger and hot headed macaw why his idea was stupid and unnecessarily risky. He saw his partner didn't get it and was about to go elaborate further when a new bird landed behind them too close for comfort, causing both of them to jump, expecting the worst.

"Easy fellas, it's me." The intruder held up his wings, showing no hostility whatsoever. The two spies recognized him a moment later, lowering back down their guards, accompanied with heavy sighs.

"Damn you Agustin. How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?" Pablo angrily remarked, indicating this was not the first time the bird did this to them. He could have been an enemy, causing him to attack and reveal their position by doing so.

He just chuckled in response, but changed to a much more collected and serious mood a second later. "There is a problem. Team three got stuck in one of those human structures, and as per our orders, we need to free them to evade detection. Your team was the closest, so I will need one of you for assistance."

"Have they been caught?" Pablo questioned right away, worry in his voice. He known every single bird in team three so it made it a bit personal for him. The fact that they were trapped made him uneasy, since unlike the blue macaws, they knew nothing about the buildings humans left behind, making any rescue attempt hard if not impossible.

"No, the Spix's patrol will not come for another hour or so. It also happens to be that their patrol shift will be soon, which gives us a great window of opportunity. Although in the end it is an order, will you help me?" Agustin requested the assistance, knowing full well they couldn't exactly decline. Still, he was taught manners and politeness was a part of his nature, something his teammates respected. Pablo was conflicted within, since he wanted to save his fellow comrades, but that would leave Ugo alone with no backup. He stayed silent for several seconds, heavily debating whether going away to help was really the best course of action.

At the end, he couldn't argue against orders, which left him with only one choice. While he was not comfortable leaving Ugo behind, he trusted his superiors judgment, if not Ugo himself. He couldn't really blame the bird for the hostile outlook he had towards the blue feathered macaws, but assaulting children was where he drew the line. The only thing he could do now was hope Ugo can keep his cool while he is away.

"Alright, I'm going. Ugo, stay here and continue to keep an eye out for patrols. _Nothing else_, got it?" Pablo turned towards the fellow spy with a serious and stern look on his face, making sure to relay the fact he was not joking and it was in fact an order. The other macaw simply nodded without a word, even though his eyes clearly stated he didn't like it. "Okay. Let's go, lead the way Agustin." The two older spies took off as silently as possible, leaving the intruder all alone in the canopy.

Ugo waited patiently for several minutes to make sure his comrades were truly gone before he quickly scanned his surroundings carefully. With the exception of the children below him, he couldn't see any signs of other macaws in the area, giving him the bravery he needed to follow though with his own plans. Disobeying orders was something he despised and was almost disgusted with, but his past couldn't allow him to just sit back and watch.

The caninde macaw leaped off the branch he was hiding on, quietly gliding towards the small pond below him, carefully steering himself so his shadow would not be cast in an area where the children could spot him. He gracefully landed on the ground, the soft dirt muffling any sound his talons would make. He slowly walked towards the children, remaining undetected until he finally reached the pond's edge.

"Huh. Who are you mister? You look weird." Lucas asked out loud suddenly with unease, spotting the adult macaw only a few meters away from them. His friends quickly gone quiet and looked towards the direction the chick was facing, noticing the bird themselves. Lucas didn't realize his honesty in speech would possibly land their whole group in trouble, but unfortunately the damage was already done, causing the mildly angry face to slowly morph to something they could only describe as pure hate. By now, every chick was frozen solid by a sudden surge of fear for their lives.

"Weird? Well, not surprising I guess, coming from a bunch of brats growing up in isolation." He spoke up with disgust, closing his eyes as if he didn't even want to look at them. "I'm a macaw just like you, only I'm… how should I phrase it, _better_." He explained scornfully, further frightening the children who had no idea what was happening. "You all know nothing about what's going on, right?" He added shortly after, the tone clearly insisted they answer fast.

"N… not re-really." Blu managed to gather up the courage and speak up, even if he stuttered all the way through. The others remained silent, too afraid to even move a muscle.

"Your pitiful tribe is in war with ours for a long time now… And for reasons I cannot even comprehend, your tribe is winning!" The caninde macaw spoke with more and more venom dripping from each word he said. The kids instinctively bundled up together to feel a bit safer, not that it mattered too much if the stranger tried anything.

He suddenly started some sort of twisted laughter as he continued. "My tribe actually wants to make peace. Peace on Spix's macaw terms." Ugo finally moved his body, walking towards the children with sharp claws opened and ready for an attack. "No… I will not allow my tribe to be shamed. I'm going to use you as hostages to get my tribe what we deserve!" He angrily remarked, spreading his wings to take flight. The chicks figured out that this was serious and finally turned around, jumping up from the shallow water, desperately trying to take flight themselves.

It was only then they realized they were soaked in water, unable to generate enough lift to take off. With flight out of the equation, their only choice was to run, and that they did. Blu forced himself to look back and saw the mad macaw closing in on them fast. His fight or flight response was hard to beat but he had to come up with a plan or else they were done for. He looked around, desperately trying to find something which could help him.

He remembered the shelter next to that strange box he found before he joined his friends in the water. The entrance was just big enough to fit them through, and big enough inside to shelter all of them. If he could just get there, maybe he can call for help. "Guys! A hiding place to our left! Come on!" He gathered all his strength to call out, fighting back his own terror in the process. The other chicks were too afraid to argue and with nothing better to do, followed his lead.

"Oh no you don't!" The caninde macaw yelled out as he flew closer, flapping his wings harder to catch up with the kids. He decided to jump them exactly because they were wet and unable to escape, he couldn't afford to let them rat him out if an adult actually dropped by. He extended a talon forward, almost reaching the slowest blue macaw. Ugo developed tunnel vision and realized a low hanging branch was coming up right at him as he was reaching out. The chicks were small enough to run below it, but he had to dodge it unless he wanted to suffer possible injuries. He pulled away in the last moment, giving the fleeing kid a chance to catch up to the others.

By the time he recovered from the dodge, the children were almost near the hole one of them was talking about. He gained altitude and attempted to dive bomb them, aiming for the entrance ahead. If he could cut off their only escape route, they were finished. Fortunately for the blue macaws, he was a second too slow and crashed in the dirt just as the last chick ran inside.

He growled in fury, quickly standing up and dusting himself off. "You little punks will pay dearly for this." He threatened with rage, turning around to face the entrance. He could see all of them bundled up together, shaking like leafs in the autumn winds. "I'm going to get inside there somehow, and all of you will be sorry!" He laughed at their despair, realizing they basically trapped themselves with that move.

The children yelled out in fright when the adult macaw basically rammed the dirt structure, his body weight applying too much force for the material to resist. With the second run, he managed to break the wall completely, gaining entry to the hideout. There is no point hiding in an area where the enemy was, so the chicks took the opportunity to dart out next to him. For the most part, this plan worked, the majority of the blue macaws managed to get out, but three were not that lucky.

Ugo opened up his wings fully, blocking the exit for the three slowest chicks, who were caught in his grip a moment later. He had to make sure to not apply too much pressure, since a dead bird was no use as a hostage. The three kids trashed around and tried to either bite or claw their way out, but their still underdeveloped beaks and talons did little to no damage to a fully grown macaw.

"HELP!" They yelled out in unison, managing to outcry the chicks who were free but still panicking. Satisfied with his catch, the caninde macaw turned around and walked outside, only to see the children still near him, completely petrified to move once more. He considered snatching up even more but his ears picked up a sound he really didn't want to hear.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" A deep masculine voice rang through the jungle, and moments later several fully grown macaws emerged from the treetops, flying towards the ground as fast as bullets. The blue macaws landed, their talons making almost no sound as they made contact with the soft dirt below them.

They all carried spears or sticks with them, and their expressions were everything but friendly. _Shit_. Ugo cursed himself, realizing he was in big trouble if he managed to identify one of the enemy correctly.

"Who the hell are you?" The biggest macaw questioned right away, not realizing at first that the caninde was holding three chicks in his wings. There was silence at first, Ugo busy trying to come up with some snappy introduction when one of the children managed to free their beak for a moment.

"DAD!" The chick cried out in fright, before the caninde macaw reapplied the pressure, silencing the kid once again. The damage was already done, since the adults heard it. They inspected the intruder better and horror morphed on their faces when they saw the helpless chicks being held as prisoners. Their eyes were now throwing daggers and burning with fury.

"Blu?!" The big macaw asked out loud in shock before his rage overtook him. "**LET MY SON GO YOU BASTARD!**" He roared as loud as his lungs physically allowed, preparing to charge the intruder head on. One of his comrades stepped in, restraining the raging macaw before he could leap away.

"Casper! Get a hold of yourself, he's taken them hostage!" The smaller but still well built macaw reasoned, managing to stop the bird in time before he did something rash and possible tragic. Casper regained his composure but his face did not change in the slightest. Nobody had to really guess hard what he wanted to say, but Ugo beat him to it.

"My name is Ugo from the Caninde macaw tribe. The atrocities your species committed shall end now. I have taken three of your children as hostages, and they will only be released once a peace treaty is met with _our_ terms!" He exclaimed as loudly as possible, making sure every adult heard him loud and clear. His face was neutral, since he couldn't allow emotion to be visible, good or bad. If he wanted to be taken seriously he needed to get the upper hand and control of the situation as fast as possible. He already managed to emotionally rile up the tribe leader, who happened to be in the right place in the right time. Ugo also realized just how valuable one of these chicks was, since not only was he a Spix's macaw, but the son of the leader.

"Atrocities? You dare accuse us of such when your tribe started the whole war, and now you are taking children as hostages?!" Casper countered with dripping venom from his voice, growling like a rabid animal by this point. Internally his parental instincts clashed with his rational mind in an epic power struggle, and it showed even though he tried to hide it.

"Cut the chit chat. Unless you want these three to go to the afterlife, I suggest you all lower your weapons,** NOW!**" Ugo ordered, barking the command for emphasis. The intimidation appeared to work when he started to squeeze his wings, causing the chicks to cry out once again. Neither blue macaw dared to move forward upon hearing the cries. He finally got the upper hand and was now in complete control of the situation, which he used to his advantage. The caninde macaw began to walk backwards, knowing his comrades will come from behind him whenever they get back.

The staring contest continued between the two sides as Ugo moved backwards, but he felt something weird hit his talon during a step. He quickly glanced behind him, finding a strange box in his way he didn't notice before. He wanted to examine it but that was not an option right now when enemies surrounded him. What he managed to conclude was that it was human in origin, which should have caused him to panic, but seeing the blue macaws not even paying attention to it, he decided to ignore it.

Tensions rose almost to a breaking point when he realized the Spix's macaws were actually trying to surround him slowly, flanking him from both sides. This forced him to continue backwards, with no real way to go around the strange box but above it. He extended his right talon to find a good grip on the object, feeling something cold with the same texture as the fence they encountered earlier. Ugo paid absolutely no attention to whatever that was and lifted himself up to the top of the box.

Suddenly his ears picked up a whistling sound coming from his right side, and as a response, he instinctively turned to the left to evade whatever made the sound. He was right to do so, as a spear came soaring through the air only centimeters from his right shoulder. If he didn't move he would have been hit and that would have been potentially game over. Unfortunately for Ugo, this action caused him to loosen up his grip, allowing the three still struggling chicks to break free and fall to the ground, free from his prison.

His eyes widened when he realized he lost control once again and desperately tried to snatch them up before the enemy could use the opening to attack. Due to his imbalance, he rested his left leg on the opposite side of the box for better support, but it turned out that was the final mistake he ever made in his life.

Ugo suddenly felt a jolt of pain run across his entire being, paralyzing him instantly. His legs went completely numb at first, before unimaginable pain followed right after. He howled in pain as something alien flowed through his nervous system relentlessly. The box contained a bunch of high powered batteries, and his body unintentionally completed the circuit. He trashed around for a few seconds as his muscles contracted uncontrollably and way above their limit, causing them to sustain heavy damage. Due to this, he couldn't scream anymore because his breathing was no longer uniform, and he started to feel really light headed when an unexplained piercing pain manifested within his chest. After a few seconds of this silent agony, the final spark of life left his tormented body as suddenly as lightning strikes.

The corpse slowly bent to the right side enough that gravity could take over and force the body downward, breaking the circuit and allowing the muscles to finally go limp. Ugo's lifeless body fell to the dirt floor with a quiet thud, leaving the frightened children and shocked adults alone. The macaws eyes were wide in disbelief, freezing for a second because it was completely unexpected. A new blue macaw dropped down from below a tree canopy, staring at the dead body with a morbidly neutral face as he walked next to the warriors. "I go through all the trouble to make him dodge my spear, giving us an opportunity to have a good old fashioned fight and he just dies on us?"

* * *

**Some time later that night**

"What's the report?" Casper's voice echoed through Blu's room. The chick was tucked away safely underneath his already sleeping mother. The warmth her body emitted was slowly pushing him away from consciousness, but the voice brought him back to reality in an instant. Curiosity getting the better of him once again, he peeked his head out as much as he could without waking up his mother to hear better.

"If I had to give it a key word, _suspicious_. The Caninde tribe confirmed the intruder was one of them, but according to their leadership, he was an exiled bird who wanted to stir up trouble. An attempt to keep the war going between us… Permission to speak freely?" A new voice spoke up, this too belonging to a male but the pitch indicated he was younger in age, while the tone was submissive in nature.

"Permission granted. What's on your mind?"

"I don't buy that story for a second, sir. There are a lot of problems with this explanation, and the ene…" He stopped for a moment, but continued right after by correcting himself. "Caninde tribe provided very little evidence to support their claims. If they are lying, that means they sent that intruder knowing what he was planing to do." The reporter finished explaining his point of view, and after a few seconds of silence, it was met with an answer from the older macaw.

"Yes. Everyone in the council including me understands it was a lie… But this war lasted for far too long and cost a lot of brave men and women. Birds who's lives were precious and cannot be replaced. Their desperate plea to brush this under the rug proves they are in a similar situation. It would be beyond stupid to push it further… Even if one of the hostages was my very own son." The silence returned for a few seconds once again, but without direct sight, it was impossible to guess what was happening in the other room. "What about the intruder's cause of death?" The question followed and was met with a response almost as soon as he finished asking it.

"The intruder had no visible injuries at first glance. However, our medical team discovered two very serious burn marks on his two talons. It made absolutely no sense at first, but we also examined the human box which he stepped on… As it turns out, they were some sort of very powerful batteries. That bird was electrocuted, and by the looks of it, he died _fast_. As you know yourself, no visible signs of prolonged struggle." His speech indicated he was finished speaking for the most part.

"I see…" The authority figure commented, his tone conveying that he was deep in thought. As soon as he reached a decision about how to proceed, he made sure to voice that. "Things will continue to go as planned. Proceed with the peace negotiations; Once that mess is sorted out, get rid of that box. Last thing we want is one of our own getting killed. Dismissed."

"Yes sir." The submissive macaw respectfully replied and left shortly after, his talons scraping the wood bark before ending in fading wing flaps. Blu was way past his bed time, and now that he successfully eavesdropped on the conversation, he could go to slumber in peace. The chick buried his face in his mother's soft plumage, dozing off to the dream world in the safe presence of his parents.

* * *

**Present day**

Two blue feathered macaws flew above the Spix's macaw territory in a hurry, flying as fast as their bodies allowed them while still being careful enough to dodge any incoming traffic or obstacles in their way. The female was in the lead while the male was struggling to keep up, and from the looks of it, the young woman was not happy at all.

"Ugh! When I get my talons on him, he will wish he can forget what follows _that_!" She exclaimed in anger and frustration, her golden yellow eyes scanning the horizon like a predatory hawk, attempting to find any familiar landmarks which would tell her where her current destination was. The other macaw was starting to pant from the exhaustion but tried his best to keep up.

"Hey… I know you're mad at him and everything, but we don't need to rush like we are flying for our lives here." He commented between panting, the tiredness in his voice finally clicking something within the female, bringing her back down to earth. She slowly decreased her speed to allow him to catch up but made sure to maintain that tempo as they continued to soar through the air.

"Sorry Lucas… But Blu can really get on my nerves at times. This is not the first time he did this." She apologized for her outburst, keeping the lead as she directed them towards the area she was sure Blu would be found.

"No worries. But where are we going exactly? He could be anywhere." Lucas pointed out, not catching the terrain they were flying through. If Diana was not busy flying, she would have probably made a face palm in that very moment. She sighted heavily, realizing her friend would not know unless she told him the obvious.

"Ever since Blu got his own hollow, he spent less and less time with us. Ever noticed that?" Her answer finally kick started the gears within Lucas's mind, the realization hitting him like a giant tidal wave.

Suddenly the odd but numerous events of the past few months made sense to him. Thinking back, Blu did turn a bit more distant ever since he got his own place. He was never a very social bird to begin with, a much more reserved and shy type, but his recent behavior was out of character even for him. "You are right. You think he might be doing something in his home?"

"Probably, I'd be willing to bet on it. Whatever he's doing or hiding, it occupies him enough that he forgets to even come to our final match of the season. I want to know what's going on." Diana confirmed his suspicions, keeping an eye on the horizon as they reached the living area where their friend lived. She glanced along the canopy, trying to find a familiar pattern of trees which would tell her where the hollow's entrance was. After searching for a while, she managed to recognize something and located Blu's potential hideout in mere seconds. The two macaws banked to the left, preparing to land on the tree branch as silently as possible to not disturb the residents who lived there.

Meanwhile, said blue macaw was oblivious to the outside world around him, tapping his talons to the beat of music as he seemed to move around the giant hollow. The interior looked like a weird mix of a natural and man made living room. It was mostly natural in appearance, but it was clearly modified to fit a pattern instead of the randomness of nature. Metal and plastic was scattered all around, retrofitted to serve this macaw for various purposes.

People would recognize them as furniture in the form resembling tables or shelves. On top of them were various items like cups or tools to work on materials. Small sheets of paper were scattered around the walls, displaying blueprints for various contraptions. Some of them had real life prototypes or even finished products below them, but most were still under construction and looked like a mess to an observer.

The hollow was one giant hole, capable of easily fitting five to six adult macaws if necessary, but it didn't end there. Small holes littered the walls, allowing in natural sunlight to illuminate the living area. Due to their large numbers, the room would remain lit for as long as the sun was up, no matter the angle. On various sides further holes were carved in by force, separating the main interior with multiple primitive rooms. Small pieces of cloth were hanging from rusty nails, serving the simple function of providing privacy for whatever reason. The main entrance was also modified, starring a piece of wood latched to the side by a small metal hinge. It was by no means sturdy or well designed enough to prevent a break in, but it did a pretty good job of insulating the hollow from the outside weather.

The blue macaw kept running back and forth between one of the smaller and living room, carrying supplies with him as he worked on something on the largest table in the center made by a broken metal plate. A single piece of paper was in front of him, displaying the project he was currently working on. Surprisingly enough, the object contained something no human in their right mind would ever think animals could use, let alone understand: electronics.

Using his talons with great precision, he picked apart human tools for various electronic parts, placing them on the object in question just like he designed on the blueprint. By using some wires and a battery, this macaw was able to create a soldering stand, heating up a small needle using the electric current provided by the battery to solder pieces together. He was so caught up in his work, he failed to notice the knocks on his front door.

"BLU! OPEN UP!" Diana shouted from outside, standing at the door impatiently, glaring daggers at the wooden plate in front of her. What infuriated the macaw was the fact that the music was not even playing that loudly, yet he appeared to be ignoring her entirely. Lucas walked up next to her and knocked a bit harder, but ultimately got the same response as his friend.

The woman finally lost her patience, she grabbed the edge of the plate with her right talon and yanked it open forcefully, making sure to not actually damage it. Last thing she wanted was spending the rest of the day fixing his door. Thanks to the fact that the entrance was well shaded by leafs, the open door didn't let more light in than the small circular holes, ensuring Blu still didn't realize people were looking for him.

The two intruders prepared to look away in case they intruded on something embarrassing or private, but their gaze met something akin to a busy workshop, their target's back turned towards them. Their eyes scanned the room in wonder, seeing all the tools and blueprints scattered around. Turns out Blu hid them whenever they came over, but obviously he couldn't do that now.

Then, the duo spotted the portable small radio which was basically right next to him, explaining why he didn't even realize they were there. Lucas was reluctant to step in, but Diana held no such reserves, still angry at the macaw. She invited herself in, walking towards the still busy bird with determination. The male looked around outside before slipping in himself, careful to close the door behind him. It was clear whatever Blu was doing in his spare time, he didn't want others to see, so the least he could do is prevent the entire tribe from peeking inside.

Diana carefully walked up behind Blu, who was still oblivious to anything from the outside world. She remembered that on top of her scolding, she will have to include this as well. After all, they could have been thieves or even murderers. The young woman flipped the radio's switch with a swift talon movement, instantly covering the room with an eerie silence.

At last, this finally alerted Blu's brain that something was not right. He thought maybe he knocked it over with his wing or something, and as such, he turned his head towards the radio. His reaction was actually quick enough to have a glance at Diana's retreating talon. Instinctively his eyes followed it until it met with a body, and then it shifted towards the owner's face.

It took him a moment to recognize the facial features, and only then did the panic kick in. He yelled at the top of his lungs in fright, jumping up and tearing down the blueprint, trying desperately to hide the project with it from her probing gaze. His mind was racing with thoughts, the strongest was how she got in there exactly.

"Whoa! Easy there Blu! It's just us." She held up her wings, jumping back a bit herself at his sudden terror filled reaction. As soon as the blue macaw understood her words, he calmed down quickly, only then noticing the other male in the room. His wings were still scrambling behind him in a futile attempt to hide whatever he was working on.

"HOW did you guys get in here?!… And when?" He spoke up, forming the first two coherent sentences of the day. Diana and Lucas glanced at each other before redirecting their gaze towards the blue macaw who was still in the process of calming down his breathing and heartbeat. Lucas wanted to speak up, but he realized it was his friend who was truly hurt, and as such, she should tell what was needed to be said, even though he was not happy himself.

"Well, the door is not exactly locked now is it?" She spoke up with a thick dose of sarcasm, folding up her wings next to her body in a more relaxed pose. Blu's expression changed from frightened to annoyed pretty quickly at the remark. Usually he was a reserved person but the clear violation of his privacy and break in of his home was not something he let slide.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll install a lock then, should have done it a long time ago… That still doesn't give you right to just barge in on someone like that! What do you two want anyway?" Both macaws knew he was right to be upset about it, but Diana was not about to forget the reason they were here to begin with. The fact that Blu asked them meant he either forgot or was trying to shift blame, which boiled her blood. However, both of them known the macaw since their childhood and knew Blu was not one to shift blame, at least he owned up to his mistakes and accepted consequences. That left only one option, but she would still give him a piece of her mind.

"What do we want?! You **forgot**, didn't you!" Her eyes lit up with fury, Blu realized in an instant that was not the proper question he should have asked. Lucas wanted no part of it and conveniently stayed silent during the exchange. Diana was not someone you messed with when she was angry, and this was approaching that level quickly. Blu decided to use his brain and think hard, since he actually valued his life and made enough mistakes today.

"Oh… It was today, wasn't it?" He questioned with a genuine sad undertone, but was hoping it wouldn't be the answer. Then again, if he was wrong she would get even more angry so there was no way he would get out scot-free. Luckily for him, her emotions shifted to a 'better' kind of angry, but it was still unpleasant to say the least.

"YES!" She shouted in his face, knowing her voice was decibels above what birds would consider loud and painful. He visibly flinched and closed his eyes for a moment, but he realized he deserved it so he didn't dare shoot back. "You promised us you'd be there… Both of us." Her voice was a lot quieter now, the anger was replaced by a mix of disappointment and sadness.

Somehow this stung more than the angry yell, and it only made Blu feel worse when he glanced over to his friend who had the same look in his eyes, but stayed silent. "I'm so sorry guys. I have no idea how to make up for this… I wanted to go, honest. I got up earlier and decided to work until it was time and I guess I just got caught up…" He replied to both his friends with the same tone and volume as Diana's last sentence, but the disappointment was directed at himself. The genuine reply was picked up by both, but an awkward silence followed.

Lucas decided to be the ice breaker so he filled his lungs and spoke up, breaking up the awkward climate within the room. "Dude, we don't hate you for it, you don't need to 'make up', we're just a bit hurt, ya' know?" He reassured Blu, and Diana realized he just made the perfect opportunity to switch topics. After all, now her frustrations were dealt with, no need to keep those emotions festering. Those things led to friendships breaking up.

"If you really want to 'make up' for it though, you could start by telling us what that thing is. If it made you miss our game, I'd like to know what it is." She gestured towards the bundle behind Blu, who was still trying to cover it with his wings but of course he was fooling nobody. He visibly tensed up once again, eyeing both of them sheepishly.

"Oh, this? Ha, it's nothing. Just a lame…" He trailed off, trying to think up something plausible in a reasonable time frame to make it more believable. "Support! Yeah. Door support for the hollow." He forced an awkward smile, but dropped it moments later when he saw both of them form an annoyed and unimpressed face.

"I knew you were a bad liar but this is just ridiculous." Lucas commented dryly. Blu took a deep breath and sighted, looking towards the ground in frustration. There was no way he was slipping out of this one, so better if he revealed it himself. He might be able to restrain Diana, but Lucas? No way. He turned around and stretched out the slightly crumpled blueprint, allowing the two macaws to finally lay their eyes on the object in question. He walked aside to give them a better view.

It was a long and sleek metal rod. It had three places for proper grip, one being the center and two others slightly below and above it. This meant it could either be used with one talon or two wings. From both ends a small metal triangle with two points protruded in a ninety degree angle. It was not big or long enough to cause any serious injury, but it looked sturdy enough to not break even if it was hit really hard. In addition, the rod itself had a few wires and electronics dangling on it, giving away it was only a prototype.

The duo stared at it for a few seconds in total silence, but couldn't figure out what it was exactly. Lucas voiced his confusion, knowing Blu was too much of a nerd to resist explaining something. "Uh. I'm lost. What is it exactly?"

He complied with the question and extended a talon towards the rod, picking it up and firmly holding it with both his wings in a clear block position. This little hint helped both macaws to realize it was indeed a weapon of some sort, but the confusion returned with even bigger force when they thought about the problems associated with it. This time Diana queried. "Uh, Blu? We know your good with basic long stick training, but just because it's metal doesn't mean it will be useful against sharp things… So that includes most enemies."

They were baffled if not out right crept out by his reaction. Diana didn't even remember the last time she saw that expression on Blu's face if ever. The guy was smiling with smugness! He accompanied it with chuckling, as if this was the single most naive thing she ever said in her life. In response she got agitated again, but unknown to her, it was her and Lucas's turn to jump in fright.

Blu raised his left talon up towards the dangling mess of wires and other components, pushing a small box against the rod to give it stability as he flipped the small switch. For a moment nothing happened with the exception of a faint buzzing sound catching their attention. It distracted them enough to not focus on Blu's apparent weapon, giving them the shock of their lives when suddenly bright blue electricity shot out of both ends, connecting and forming a continuous arc just under a centimeter from the macaw's own talons. The arc was wobbly at first, branching in all directions like lightning itself, before it stabilized and formed a tighter and finer line.

They instinctively jumped backwards with a yelp, eyes wide with disbelief. They only calmed down somewhat after seeing Blu wield the strange weapon with the upmost confidence and trust. Both birds managed to get their breathing under control but remained silent, watching as he goofed around with it in awe. Lucas soon realized he was demonstrating possible attack moves, as the arc was always facing away from him as he moved.

"IS THAT LIGHTNING?! You _tamed lightning_?!" The man finally broke the silence and exclaimed with wonder and excitement, the previous scare completely left behind him. The enthusiasm caused Diana to jump once more, who was not as pleased, although it was unknown if the reaction was towards the macaw or Blu's invention. Lucas slowly stepped closer to get a better view, but Blu moved it away before he could touch it, knowing it would hurt the macaw. Something he had to learn the hard way.

"In a way… Yes, we could say that." With that, he turned off the device with the same switch, watching as the stable arc quickly dissipated in the air, leaving no trace of it ever being there. After careful observation, he could see small turbulence around the edges, indicating the metal heads were heating quickly. This was a problem because it meant the weapon can't be active for prolonged use. He dismissed the thought, leaving the problem for a later date to solve. The blue macaw moved back in front of the table and placed it down before turning back to face the still somewhat shocked duo. "So uh. Now that that is out of the way and all… What now?"

"Hold on a minute. Rewind. Is that lightning deadly? I mean, it's cool and you'll definitely get all the ladies attention if you swing that around, but what's the practical usage here?" Lucas took the macaw's question as an invitation to query further, genuinely interested in the weapon's capabilities. He walked over next to Blu to get a closer look, while Diana took the opportunity to inspect the rest of the room thoroughly. Her eyes scanned through the various blueprints and contraptions, getting tangled up in the details. She couldn't figure out what most of them did, but admired the complexity nonetheless.

"Remember _that_ incident when we were little kids?" He asked back with a serious tone, his stare turning ice cold in the process. He didn't have to remind either bird, both knowing immediately what he was referring to without him even specifying. Both macaws looked at Blu, not yet following why the topic was brought up.

"The bird died on the spot. In an instant." Diana explained, recalling the event as if it was yesterday. It was the only death she ever saw apart from her grandparents, but while those were peaceful passings surrounded by family, that bird's life was torn away from him violently by lightning. People don't forget those sort of things, especially as kids.

Blu nodded at the statement, and bobbed his head at one of the rooms, telling the others to follow him without words. The two macaws followed Blu silently as he made his way towards the selected room. He stopped in front of the red fabric and using his left wing lifted it up, standing to the side right after that. Lucas and Diana peeked inside and could see the outlines of multiple cuboids which were eerily familiar to them. As they focused better in the low light environment, they could finally pick out details on them, and after a moment of realization Diana jumped back in terror.

"YOU BROUGHT SOME OF THEM BACK?!" She yelled in confusion and panic, not even caring if anyone heard her from the outside. At this point, Blu could actually be convicted as a criminal. Lucas was not far from continuing on that line of thought.

"Are you crazy?! That thing literally killed a bird. What are you doing with it?" He paused for a moment, shaking his head as thoughts raced through his mind. "Actually, I don't want to know. We're going." Lucas turned towards Diana and grabbed her wing, walking towards the door with haste, probably to tell someone what they just saw. Blu practically ran to the exit and blocked it, holding up a wingtip in the process to further the point he was about to make.

"Shhhh! The neighbors will hear you guys. Just wait, let me explain!" He pleaded, starting to regret his decision about showing them the real secret he hid for who knows how long. The two birds considered just shoving him away, but Blu was tougher than he looked. It would cause quite a commotion and they could get in trouble too, although nearly not as much as Blu. Their friendship was suddenly on very shaky grounds, but they decided it was worth hearing him out. Worst case scenario they won't believe him and report it.

He collected himself somewhat seeing that they were willing to listen and took a deep breath. He didn't even know how to explain it. In hindsight, he should have planned for something like this, but too late for that now. "When dad ordered us back home, it shook me like everyone else. I couldn't help anyone… none of us could. I was furious, I wanted something which could diffuse a situation without harming anybody… These batteries were very effective in ending a life, but I thought, wait a minute. If it can kill, surely it can do less serious harm too. That's when I got an idea." He paused for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts. He finally unblocked the exit, seeing that he peeked their interest enough to be certain they won't bolt out the door right away. Blu walked over and sat down next to the device, looking through the blueprint as he continued.

"Father would never allow such a weapon because of the possible dangers, but this could be a game changer. Our borders are constantly attacked or harassed even now. The fence and general human stuff kept them away for now, but they are getting braver every day. Meanwhile, our tribe barely grown anything, I wouldn't be surprised if it was actually the opposite. We need all the advantages we can get. Why not negotiate by proving to them we don't mean harm but can deal it." He finished his reasoning, looking back to observe their reactions carefully. Silence followed for several minutes as they thought about his point. While their tribe was learning more and more about humans every day thanks to all the things they left behind, electricity was that one thing nobody ever dared to properly get into.

Several fatal accidents made sure to make every bird wary, only learning the very basics to keep the human structures running. Nobody ever thought about weaponizing it, so Blu's invention would certainly be a first. Now that they thought about it, it could be very useful indeed, but neither of them were really comfortable having lightning within a centimeter of their talons. As a result, they couldn't decide what to think about all of that. They couldn't ask for outside input since that would put Blu in big trouble, so they were left conflicted.

"Look. I know what I do is something possibly worthy of even exile, but we need to do something. You can't aim for peace when the opponent has a bigger stick than you. This could even out the odds." Blu added after getting tired of the silence, hopefully giving his friends some ground to begin a useful conversation. It did the trick, because Diana spoke up after considering his newest point.

"How safe is it? For yourself and the opponent?" Blu smiled weakly at the question, because it meant at least one of them was able to look at it objectively instead of straight denial due to it being considered taboo or dangerous. He picked up the weapon once again to show it off as he explained.

"The wielder is pretty much safe. The arc doesn't really branch off, so unless you get really unlucky it will never touch you. If it is such a safety issue, I can always just install a frame around the holder." He demonstrated his point by moving his talon along the rod, raising his claws to show why it cannot harm someone unless they intentionally want to hurt themselves.

"The opponent is a different question. Right now this battery here is too weak to cause any damage. It hurts really bad, but nothing life threatening. When it is done, I'll install one of the cells from the dangerous stuff… That will be able to do a whole range of damage. From harmless paralysis all the way to fatal." The quick straight to the point explanation answered the questions and concerns she had towards the weapon.

"Let's say you finish this and it works. How did you plan to present this to the world? Last I checked, your old man doesn't really like secrets. Especially if it is some sort of potentially instant kill weapon." Lucas pointed out the problem Blu already knew about, yet he couldn't help but feel lost after he mentioned it.

"I have no idea. I thought once it was done and I know what can and cannot be done I could try to come up with a presentable case. If you two don't bust me before, that is." He jokingly responded in an attempt to lighten the gloomy mood, but deep down he was praying they wouldn't betray him. He really felt bad about lying to his family or them, but it was done exactly to avoid this situation. Diana and Lucas stayed silent and glanced at each other, silently conversing between themselves.

At this point it was not about Blu harboring a deadly object or making an even deadlier weapon out of it, it was about their friendship. Friendship relied very heavily on trust, and Blu broke that delicate trust with a heavy swing from Thor's hammer. It would be completely acceptable to just break off all contact, but neither of them were known to hold a grudge. Sure, things will be shaky after this and Blu will have a lot of amends to make, but both of them knew they had to give him a chance. Once both of them were sure they came to the same conclusion, they moved away from the door, walking next to the blue macaw.

"We won't." Diana announced with a straight face, not letting any emotion through. She carefully observed as Blu's posture relaxed somewhat, as if a giant boulder was lifted from his shoulders. He was about to speak up when the female quickly swung her wing across his face so fast her wing was a blue bur. The resulting smack was loud enough to echo across the hollow, but light enough to not cause injury. "That was for lying to us."

Lucas couldn't resist and slowly burst out laughing until the woman turned around a glared daggers at him too. He shut up fast after that but still couldn't hold back light snickers. Meanwhile, Blu finally came back to his senses, rubbing his face with his left wing to ease the pain. "Yeah… I deserved that." He accepted the punishment, but walked a few steps away from Diana just to be safe.

* * *

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-…

* * *

**Okay. So, I managed to get over a massive writer's block, and I just realized it has been nearly three months since the last update. Ooops. My apologies!**


	5. Mission on the horizon

**Chapter 5**

Mission on the horizon

**Disclaimer**

_I do not own Rio._

* * *

This was probably the most eventful day of Blu's life. At first, he forgot a promise he made to his friends and later on got busted by those exact same birds, exposing a carefully guarded secret of several years. A friendship since childhood was almost ruined, and now the very same friends were helping him out, even though they knew they would get in just as much trouble by doing so. Although he wouldn't admit it, having people to share the burden of a secret of this caliber was liberating. He never thought they would listen and forgive him, since they had every reason to simply leave him there and report what he was doing. It just affirmed what great friends he had, and how much of an idiot he was for almost losing them.

"Alright. That should be the final piece." Blu announced with pride, picking up the weapon once more to inspect it. The general appearance didn't change, but small fins were placed near the spikes. Turns out they act as perfect heat sinks, allowing the weapon to be turned on for longer than previously possible.

"Let's see it work then." Lucas commented impatiently and Blu didn't waste much time granting him his request. He moved back a bit to get space between them, being careful to not get caught up on the wires still dangling along. He switched on the weapon and just as last time an arc quickly formed and stabilized. The faint glow it gave off made it a truly mesmerising appearance, even though it was meant to be an instrument of death. One thing Lucas and Diana realized was that the arc was much thinner, with less spreading than before.

"I changed a few of the capacitors and resistors, making the arc tighter. Now there is absolutely no chance for the arc to hit the wielder." He explained what he done, once again showing them that he _did_ consider their concerns and warnings.

"That's comforting to know… So, what's next on the line?" Diana nodded approvingly, turning back towards the table and the blueprint, trying to guess the next move. Lucas was still busy taking in the sight, but got back to his senses as Blu turned it off.

''Well, I'm not really sure. The electronics are working as intended, and I see Lucas finished the proper stick itself, so there is not much more I wanted to add… I guess we can transfer over the sensitive stuff and give it a proper test." He admitted, scratching his chin with a talon after placing down the prototype with all the electronics on it.

Lucas picked up his own handy work, which was actually mostly Blu's design. Although the blue macaw would never admit it, having three people work on it instead of one really did speed up the process. While Blu was skilled with electronics, metal work was not really his strong suit, and it would have taken him days to finish what his friend accomplished within a few hours.

After Lucas handed over the finished frame to Blu, the expert got right back to work on assembling it all together. He started by removing the finished electronics from the prototype frame, careful not to break anything as he did so. Diana assisted him throughout the process, giving an extra helping talon whenever needed. This granted the other blue macaw with a bit of free time as he patiently waited for the thing to be assembled.

After another hour of tedious work and testing, the three macaws were relieved to know that Blu's 'little' home project was finally completed. Blu picked it up and immediately started doing a few goofy tricks with it, getting a feel for the weapon in his talons. It was relatively light for the size, which was a good thing when it came to combat. He swung it around a few times before smashing it against the hollow's wall with force for good measure. To his delight, it didn't even crack and the electronics worked as if nothing happened.

"I think we can agree this is a finished product." He exclaimed, proud by their accomplishment. He turned it off and placed it back on the table. "That leaves us with one last task… we need a name for it." He added shortly after, looking towards his friends for possible suggestions since he was terrible at naming things.

"Thunderstruck." Lucas commented, but revoked it a few seconds later.

_"Blitzkrieg_. The German origin term for a swift, focused blow to an enemy." Diana suggested, and the two males looked at each other stunned. She thought she said something wrong and asked them what was the problem.

"Nothing. It is fitting! Blitzkrieg it is!" Blu exclaimed loudly once again, picking up the newly named weapon and raising it in the air. Once his impromptu declaration was done, he walked over to the hollow's wall and placed it on two hooks, mounting it on a neat place. Lucas and Diana's eyes widened a bit, only now realizing it was there and how perfect it was to place the weapon. Blu got back to them and began to silently tidy up his workplace, starting by throwing away trash and unusable junk. The two macaws assisted him without a word and they worked with a strangely comfortable silence.

"We're going to have to see my dad today about this, you two know that, right?" Blu spoke up when they were near the end of their cleanup, earning two firm nods from his friends in response. "I really appreciate the help, so I will make sure to direct all the possible flak on myself." He reassured them, making sure to get rid of any doubts that might have taken root within their minds.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad once you tell them what you told us." Lucas offered as comfort, but regretted it a moment later when he realized it was nice and all but they might not get that far. Neither macaw could offer a response, so they all opted for peace and quiet as they finished the cleanup by hiding away the final set of tools. Blu sighed heavily, clearing his mind of distractions. He looked up at his friends and put up a small smile.

"Let's go. I'll lead the way." The three parrots left Blu's hollow, leaping off the branch and flying towards the center of the Spix's macaw tribe. Blu took point as they flew in a standard V formation, responding to random blue macaws who greeted the leader's son while in flight. By now Blu was used to it and didn't even pay attention, unconsciously responding to phrases he heard at least a million times by now.

As he lead the formation towards a central building which just came into view, his mind raced with dozens of thoughts, speeches and scenarios. He was not as close to his father as he would have liked, which meant he couldn't fully predict just how he will react to the news. While Blu was thinking, Diana glanced ahead, inspecting the human construct they were heading towards.

The base was a huge rectangular building with a rather tall tower emerging from it's west side. Unlike most structures in the vicinity, this was not littered with macaws with the exception of guards on the perimeter and rooftops. Diana and Lucas were uneasy at first to come near it, because unlike Blu they were civilians and the law to stay away applied to them as well. Thankfully Blu had the privilege to allow people inside the most public spaces.

"Good afternoon Mr. Gunderson. You sure just made my job a lot easier." A female blue macaw greeted the trio as they landed on the building's edge. The yellow bandage on her wing gave away her role within the tribe, being the sole marker of an enforcer, a primitive form of a police structure. Blu on the other hand was puzzled by the strange statement and voiced that confusion.

"Hello… Um, I'm afraid I don't follow. How did I make your job easy exactly?" For a moment he began to panic, his mind wondering off. _What if someone found out and reported me?.. Could it be that they tricked me? No! They wouldn't do that._ He made sure to shake these thought away before it showed and the enforcer became suspicious. Thankfully the reason was something completely different.

"Your father requested that you come for today's meeting. The reason was not stated, our order was just to notify and bring you in." She explained her order, clearing up some of the confusion but it just raised even more questions within the trio.

"I see. This is convenient then, because I actually wanted to speak to him too… Is it a problem if my friends come along as well? They will be needed." Blu understood the woman can't possibly know more and decided to just go with the flow for now.

"I can't promise anything, that decision is not up to me I'm afraid. But if they truly are friends of yours, I won't make a fuss about letting them in the building." She stood to the side with a warm smile, extending a wing for a 'please proceed' gesture. The three macaws returned the smile and thanked her before walking inside the now unobstructed entrance.

Meanwhile, Lucas had other plans and once his friends walked inside he silently stayed behind and waited until the macaws were out of earshot. The bird propped his body by placing his right wing on the entrance's frame, altering his voice slightly to be as seductive as possible he glanced towards the confused enforcer. "So… Miss. Officer. I'd like to thank your service. Perhaps we could catch a mango after your shift is over?" It dawned on the woman what he wanted and desperately tried to hide her amusement at the obviously bad pickup attempt, but she had to admit the kid had guts.

She was spared of the process of declining the invite when a pair of wings grabbed the charmer from the entrance. "WHOA!" Lucas yelled in a panic as he was dragged away against his will, frantically moving his wings in random directions, hoping to escape without any luck.

"You are such a tusk. We have work to do!" Diana scolded him as she caught up to Blu with ease, the helpless macaw still being dragged behind her. She might be a female but her strength was nothing to underestimate when angry. Blu was grinning like an idiot, while the whole show was too much for the officer and she finally laughed. The commotion successfully gathered a small crowd of curious birds who all followed the enforcer's example, adding to Lucas's shame and smashed ego.

Once that was over and Lucas was finally allowed to stand up and walk with them, they took the chance to look around the building. The inside was not that different from the outside all in all. The vines and plants overgrown the interior heavily, but the places where birds were often around or something important was located was kept in order and clean from any vegetation. At least in the eyes of macaws; For a human, this place would have looked like a run down place.

From seemingly nowhere, a very muscular and tall blue macaw appeared from behind one of the corners, stopping the trio in their tracks the moment they realized the bird was walking towards them. The bird in question towered over them easily, his face rocking a long scar across his left side and beak. The deep voice and gray piercing eyes didn't really add a lot of comfort until they understood what he wanted.

"Good day Mr. Gunderson junior. I'm Mark Lopes. Your father personally ordered me to accompany you as you wait for the current meeting to be over." He introduced himself and smiled, waiting for their tense shoulders to relax. While some birds would have seen it as offensive, he knew his size caused a lot of people to be wary of him and learned to not hold it against them.

"He also told me to get two more people but before that I would like to ask you, who are the two youngsters?" Just like the enforcer before him, he questioned the two figures identity behind Blu. A bit irritated by the constant need to explain himself, he elaborated who they were and concentrated very hard to not show his emotion, and that was only partially because he didn't want to anger a macaw who could probably crush him with minimal effort.

"Well ain't this my lucky day. Exactly the two people I need!" Mark happily exclaimed, earning a questioning look from the trio. It looks like they make every birds day easy for some reason. They could understand why the tribe leader would request the presence of his son, but two of his friends as well? Especially when neither they or their parents held any considerable power within the tribe.

"Huh… The lady at the entrance also said the same thing. Although with her, it was just my presence." Blu spoke his thoughts out loud with a questioning tone, his mind already working overtime to figure out the puzzle before him. The older macaw chuckled at the statement, as if he was expecting it. He held out his wings to the side, inviting the young adults to follow him as he explained.

"Miss Simas and Mr Ramos was requested a few minutes later after one of our advisors spoke to Mr. Gunderson. While I guess your curiosity must be dying to know the reason, it was never stated I'm afraid." Obviously it was not Blu's first time inside the building, but for the sake of his friends, he asked Mark if he could show them around the busy establishment. Since they had some time to kill, the masculine macaw happily agreed, showing off everything interesting as they made their way towards their end goal.

During their impromptu tour, Lucas recognized many public figures, higher ups and even celebrities as they walked by minding their own business. He just realized how both Diana and he were lucky to be a friend of Blu, as most blue macaws couldn't just get inside here. Of course fame and connections were not the reason for their friendship, far from it, but he would be stupid to not admit the benefits they provided.

"That corridor leads towards the main congress hall and the leader's private room." Mark was in the middle of showing the rooms with a wingtip when one of the dog doors opened up, revealing more and more blue macaws as they seemed to pour out of the entrance. _Looks like the meeting just finished. Right on time._ The older macaw thought to himself as he saw a very familiar bird enter the hall.

The three best friends kept their eyes on the flood of macaws and the bird in question caught their interest too. It was non other than Blu's father, the current leader of the Spix's macaw tribe. Mark stayed silent next to the three youngsters and made eye contact with the other fully grown adult. Casper seemed to be angry, his eyes radiating irritation and anger, but it dissipated when he noticed the group in the end of the corridor. His anger seemed to dissipate immediately and smiled, changing his direction to meet up with them. He was a well built macaw for his age, with the same navy blue hue as his son, but his eyes were light blue and had a very dark gray beak for Spix's standards.

"Hello father." Blu greeted his dad once he got within earshot, followed by a unison greeting from both Diana and Lucas. Mark already met him today and just stayed silent, curious about his next assignment the leader will no doubt give him now that his son and his friends were delivered to him as requested.

The macaw smiled at the politeness, coming forward to give his son a strong hug, which he reciprocated. They soon broke the embrace and the older male return the greetings in kind. "Hello kids." He teased them, knowing full well they hated being called kids as all three of them were considered adults by this point. Still, habits die hard for grown ups and they knew it, so it was all good faith banter.

"Thanks for bringing them here Mark." He thanked the macaw who just nodded, his expression remaining neutral and stoic.

Once the greetings and pleasantries were done with, Casper collected himself and straightened out his posture. He had a job to do and right now and acknowledged that it was time to treat the young macaws as fellow comrades instead of family or friends. "I'm pleased to see all three of you here so early, my men must have done their job spectacularly."

"… Actually, we came here all on our own. We met up with the woman who was supposed to be sent after me at the entrance. There is something I wanted to speak to you about." Blu clarified the reason they actually came here, and observed his father's reaction in detail. The older macaw was surprised but quickly recovered and hid his emotion, replacing it with an understanding nod.

"I see. You can tell me all about it in a bit, but right now the important part is why I called you three here. As a young engineer and the only expert in our family, I want your input for the following meeting. It is about the electrical system… Complications rose a few days ago." Casper gave away a bit of the meeting's topic, but his tone of voice was anything but positive. The situation got serious in an instant, the three young macaws now curious beyond belief what these complications could be. On top of that, Diana and Lucas still didn't know why they were needed but figured it will be told in due time.

"Complications, sir?" Diana spoke up, making sure to repeat what she though she heard to clear up any possible confusion. Blu's father nodded, confirming that she indeed heard it right. She didn't like his tone one bit, since it was very rare to see this side of the tribe leader. It was reserved for truly important situations involving possibly lives or even the tribe's future.

"Yes. I will go in detail once the council arrives… Until that, how about you tell me what you wanted to talk about?" He shifted the topic back towards the group but Blu became uncomfortable with all the recent development. He too felt the negative vibe his father gave off, and knowing just how sensitive his own topic was, he didn't want to bring it up right now. There was no telling how he would react to it; Plus, he wanted his father to be fully there when this meeting begins, since Blu's curious nature was acting up again and he needed to know just what was going on.

"Uh… Never mind that, it can wait until later. It is nowhere near as important as this meeting from what you just described." He dismissed it as causally as possible, trying to mask the worry from his face as best he could. His father saw through it and kept staring in his son's chocolate brown eyes, but for some reason decided not to press it further.

"Okay then." This surprised the group but they were relieved in the same time. Turns out it was indeed the best decision, because a few moments later a new group arrived, revealing several blue macaws of different ages, but all were no younger than Blu's father. They ranged from mid age all the way to elder, with varying plumage color and an equal mix of both genders. Blu and his friends quickly recognized at least some of them as figureheads, people in position of high power. _This must be the whole council. Whoa, I never thought there were so many._ Lucas thought to himself.

As if on cue, Casper motioned all of them to follow him and headed back towards the congress hall's entrance. The trio accompanied by Mark and the council followed him in silence, while the three young adults tried their best to not make direct eye contact with any of them, because even though they were looking forward, they could sense the probing gazes the elders shot towards them.

"Here we are." Mark spoke up quietly as they walked through the dog door. The room had no windows, but the light switch still worked and was in the on position since the room was illuminated. The trio could see a couple of human chairs neatly arranged by a big circular table in the very center of the room. The struggle it must have took to arrange them that way was not a small feat for sure.

They watched the dozens or so macaws walk inside the room and take their seats. The speed at which they sat down at their respected place told them this was not the council's first time coming to a meeting like this, which made Lucas a bit uncomfortable. He never thought he would win a match at morning and somehow end up in an inner tribe council meeting by afternoon with Blu and Diana, yet here they were.

Diana lightly punched his shoulder, redirecting his attention to the female in response. He shot her a small glare flavored with a questioning look. The light blue woman just rolled her eyes in frustration before pointing towards four empty spots near the end of the table, and Lucas realized what she was getting at.

"Oh." He quietly exclaimed with a sheepish smile, following her and Blu who got the memo and was already half way between the 'seats' and him. He reached the area and sat down on the table right between Diana and Blu. Fortunately for him, he was not the slowest, meaning the meeting was not delayed due to him zoning out. Once the final bird settled down, the Spix's macaw leader spoke up, his voice cutting through the ambient noise.

"Ladies and gentlemen, lets skip the pleasantries this session. I will not sugarcoat our situation, we are in serious trouble." His voice cut through the silence like hot knife through butter. Once he let his audience realize the situation, he continued before anyone could cut him off, not that they would do it. "What I am about to reveal is a high ranked secret, therefor it must never leave this room. Three weeks ago we received an increase of irregular reports from the power plant. According to our head mechanic Silvio Santos… the main generator which supplies the tribe is _failing_."

A dropped pinhead would be deafening in the silence which followed the blue macaw, the occupants not daring to take a breath as they processed what the leader just said. It was no secret that a big reason they were able to keep away intruders were the electrical fences and lamps scattered around the broken down human base, giving the Spix's macaws an enormous advantage when it comes to border control and law enforcement. Just in this year alone, five intruders were caught thanks to the illumination, allowing the tribe to keep their secrets hidden.

"Silvio said that within two months time, multiple parts will break down beyond our ability to repair, leaving us without any electricity… This is why I called upon my son to this meeting today." Casper glanced towards his son, followed by the rest of the council who were not already glancing towards the young adults. Needless to say, Blu became uncomfortable pretty quickly even though he was used to it. Before things could become too awkward, his father continued.

"The reason he is here is not due to favoritism but academic success. Blu displayed talent in the field which is essential but rather unknown to us, electronics. I want him to accompany a mission we will soon send off to solve our problem."

"Since the necessary parts don't grow on trees, we must acquire them other ways. A recent merchant passed through our tribe and for a rather handsome fee gave us very valuable intel… We know of a place where we can get the parts. Only problem is, the place is right in the middle of a human city." The last three words snapped most out of any stray thoughts which might have lingered in their minds. Just because they used human inventions and were open didn't mean they were automatically trusting or welcoming towards them, after all they were considered a rare species and sought after by poachers.

"Which city is it?" One of the elders broke the one way conversation, since the answer would greatly influence their stance on whatever Casper wanted to propose.

The tribe leader took a deep breath, knowing the answer will not be met with positive reception. "Rio de Janeiro." Just as expected, the room filled with a choking silence once again. Casper could only hope he would be able to get through the council, because no matter how much they will deny it, it is their only option when looking at it objectively.

"WHAT?! That city is _literally_ on the other side of the continent! Not to mention to get there, we need to cross the barren lands." An older woman was next to cry out, her outburst expected but still caused some of the birds to flinch at the harsh volume. Casper was not phased at all, already expecting what she just shared.

"Yes, well, the merchants do it fairly regularly so not like it's impossible. We just need to prepare adequately." He bluntly explained, secretly proud of the simplicity and truth behind it. Before anyone could continue to object or change topic, he continued. "The barren lands are problematic for entire tribes to cross because of the lack of enough food. Small squads of less than ten members can find more than enough to live happily if they chose to." Nobody could come up with a valid counter argument and thus had no real reason to object, causing the tribe leader to form a subtle smirk in victory.

"Judging from your reaction, I assume you already have a flight plan laid out?" A council member broke the silence, his tone normal, emotions stoic. Casper liked that one, because unlike most elders who were as conservative as a bird could be, that macaw was open to change and didn't like it when people bullshitted, and the council tended to do that often.

"Correct Mr. Moniz. One of my assistants will deliver them shortly now that the council approved my mission." The answer satisfied the old macaw, earning a quick and subtle nod in acknowledgement.

"Then lets discuss the people involved. Please list the team composition and a small explanation why that particular macaw was chosen." Maceo Moniz continued on before someone could derail the conversation, he could still see some of his fellow councilors not happy with the decision.

"I'll list the people, their role and then the reason if that is OK with everyone?" Casper glanced along the group of blue macaws, looking for any sign of protest, vocal or body language included. After finding none, he sorted through a few notes before finding the one he needed.

"Mark Lopes, team leader and frontal guard."

"Rodrigo Nunes, rear guard."

"Sara Costa, human culture professor."

"Blu Gunderson, electronics trainee."

"Lucas Ramos, guard trainee."

"Diana Simas, human culture trainee." He finished listing the people in question and as expected multiple eyes rose at the last two names and their occupations.

"Now for the reasoning behind this rather unusual team composition… We need Silvio to stay here and keep the current generator running for as long as he can, which means I need someone else to get the parts necessary… Blu is the only one in the tribe who can pull this off right now. There is simply no room for error, we cannot allow for the retrieval team to bring back no or god forbid _wrong_ parts." The tribe leader finally directed his gaze at the three young adults next to him, clarifying their roles to everyone in the room. The trio understood why Blu was called, since the problem was pretty much an electrical crisis, and even Lucas's position as a bodyguard could be explained, but Diana was still lost, her confusion clearly visible on her face. She gathered all her strength to speak up and ask what her part would be, but an elder beat her to it.

"I can understand why your son and the security officers are going, but why the specialist and other two young macaws? I'm sure the youth are promising, but another guard would suit better than this Lucas fellow." An aged female from the council took the pause as an opportunity to ask, her voice now hoarse due to her age, but the tone carried wisdom much greater than the current leader's was.

"I was hoping someone would ask this. The reason is very simple actually, Blu was not the only one who was top of his generation. Lucas Ramos is exceptional is sports and won multiple dueling championships in school. His talent caught the eyes of multiple generals, one going even as far as to ask permission to drop the then still child and enroll him the military for special forces training." Needless to say Lucas almost had to catch his beak before it hit the ground in shock. He was a good fighter and while the military life did interest him, he never really got a big enough mental push to pursue that career. The newly acquired fact that generals wanted to recruit him was a big shocker for sure. He had to muster up everyone ounce of self control to not storm the macaw leader with questions right there and then.

"As for Miss Diana Simas… She is a promising student who showed natural talent in handling people. Unlike Lucas, Human culture is actually what she is studying right now." Casper shot a quick glanced towards the young macaw as a silent conformation request. She was uneasy as everyone else directed their gaze at her and she figured the best way to make it stop was just to confirm it.

Diana tried to speak but her words got caught in her throat, so before it became obvious she tripped on her words, the blue macaw quickly nodded in confirmation. The blue macaw leader smiled and glanced back to continue. "I want her to accompany Mrs. Costa and do some field testing while also observing the human culture in Rio, more specifically their education, law enforcement and leadership system in closer detail."

A couple of council members frowned the moment he finished his explanation, realizing just what the younger macaw wanted. A male in particular sighed heavily, bringing up his left wing to massage his temple in frustration. "You are still adamant about _that_? Casper, I believe we have gone over this before."

"We never really gone over it. We debated yes, but never decided. I still believe it is time we look past the old system. But I believe you are placing more attention to that than necessary, right now the specialist will only learn about the culture, and we can debate once we know more."

"In that case, fine… There is one other thing that bothers me though." The male councilor admitted defeat before raising another problem. He waited for a moment and took the silence as an invitation to elaborate further. "Both your son and his friends are legally adults as of this year, but is it truly wise to send such young souls into the wild? Even with skilled guards like Mark Lopes, what if they get separated? How will they defend themselves? Basic training is not enough for the jungle."

"That is actually one of the weak points of this plan of mine. It might very well be that neither of them can stand up to the challenge. Mark will host a test later today to determine their combat effectiveness. If they pass, it will be less of a headache for us, but should they fail we will just assemble a different team." Casper elaborated, reassuring the council he made sure to take the youth's safety in consideration.

"On top of that, there are still logistical problems to sort out, which means if they pass they will have approximately one week to prepare. I'll make sure Mark himself molds them into capable fighting shape by then." Casper answered, looking towards his son and his two friends with a small grin on his face, knowing exactly how the scarred macaw teaches. Even if he deems them unfit and by that throws all his plans in the trash, he thought whatever the macaws pick up will be more than useful in their lives at some point.

The three birds gulped hard at the ominous sounding statement from the Spix's macaw leader, his grin not helping them calm down even a little bit. _God help us._ Blu thought to himself, knowing that grin very well, and he did not like it one bit.

* * *

**Several hours later**

Once the issue was properly discussed and settled for the time being, Casper and the council turned to less important topics concerning various issues and suggestions regarding the tribe. Unfortunately for Blu and his companions, his father requested them to stay in case something urgent came up… Nothing happened. So now three macaws who are bored half to death left the main building, intending to go to their first destination under the leader's order.

"Am I the only one who finds this situation weird? Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to go on this, but isn't it a bit wrong that we didn't get any say about this? Like a confirmation or something. I'd get it if the boss was some pushover strict militaristic man, but your dad is probably the most laid back leader ever, that's the reason I bring it up." Lucas ended the silence between them, curious what his friends thought about the predicament they found themselves in. Blu was feeling a lot of things but didn't know how to form them into a coherent sentence so he stayed silent.

Diana on the other hand knew exactly what to say, albeit not happy. "You are so dense sometimes, you know that? The tribe is basically under martial law because of the situation. Under that, he can command every adult with whatever he wants. The only reason he did not declare it officially was because panic might erupt and if word gets out to our enemies we are screwed." The explanation seemed to have satisfied the man, who replied with a silent sheepish smile in embarrassment.

Before the topic could be dropped, Diana's retort gave Blu the perfect base to form his own reply, which he used to complement the woman's answer. "Not to mention, if other macaws realized that human technology can actually erode like that, it would give them even more confidence to harass us even if we fix the issue. That is not something we need right now… or ever to be honest." He spoke the last sentence under his breath, mostly telling it to himself but his friends were within earshot and heard it anyway.

The rest of the way was spent with idle chatter about the day and the sudden crisis on their hands, right until they flew close enough to their target to have it within view. The group glided north towards a smaller structure which was guarded possibly better than the tribe center itself. It was rectangular like most of the human buildings, but what made it different were two very apparent things. The first was a bunch of wires which originated from a top post, running down the side and then into the ground. Although it was not visible, Blu knew they connected to various lamps and fences as well as a few buildings, giving them the necessary power to function even after all these years since the humans left.

The second was actually a rather uncommon sight to see when it came to buildings. A small, only about two meter wide creek flown through the whole camp, splitting it in two land wise. There were multiple bridges across, but most of them were from wood and have since broken down due to the lack of maintenance. The interesting thing was that this stream flown under the building in question, and not many birds knew the reason why.

As the trio flew down, the guards spotted them and once they realized the group was flying towards the structure, a single officer flew up to question them, but before the two could confront each other, something happened and the guard backed off without a word. This caught Blu by surprise and he looked back but couldn't see anything. He turned back by instinct and just in time to slow his descent, allowing him to gracefully land on the dirt.

Two guards on either side of the door stepped aside, allowing them to enter. The three macaws quickly walked inside, uneasy due to the cold stares they received from the birds protecting the area. Lucas figured it was a scare tactic to keep people away, which made sense, this was the power plant after all. The interior was nothing special, a few human chairs were next to the wall, while on the opposite side a receptionist desk occupied most of the space.

There was another door right in front of them, and they could hear movement inside, but what really surprised them was the rather loud sound of water flowing. Due to being in a closed space, the creek's flow echoed around the room, making it much noisier than outside. The trio made their way to the second door and when they passed it, they became one of the very few macaws who could see the tribe's most guarded secret.

The room's floor was made completely out of cold, rough concrete, not allowing any vegetation to take root whatsoever. The ceiling was a tangled mess of wires, which all originated from a single point opposite of the entrance. They realized the creek didn't flow under the building but through it. The middle of the concrete floor was carved out, allowing the water to flow through undisturbed. On both ends, the wall was open and a wire fence made sure nothing could get in or out apart from the fluid.

The left side opening and water bed was as wide as the creek itself, but after about a meter, it started to narrow down until it was barely fifteen to twenty centimeters wide. Due to the narrowing, the waterflow was much more powerful, possibly strong enough to knock off a full grown macaw of it's talons. The water flown in a strange metal tube before exiting to a concrete bed once again as wide as the outside. The metal pipe's top was connected to a formless contraption which the wires originated from.

Suddenly a light blue colored macaw appeared from behind a table, making the trio jump a bit until they realized the bird meant no threat. "AH! Blu! Your father told me to expect you. Hi, my name is Silvio, head mechanic of the Spix's macaw tribe." The blue macaw introduced himself, holding out a talon in greeting, his green eyes filled with curiosity.

Once Blu got over his initial shock, he grabbed the talon and shook it, smiling at the excited macaw. He was glad for it, because for some reason in his mind smart people in charge of important things tended to act like a stick was up their ass all day long. "Pleased to meet you. This is Diana and Lucas, friends of mine. They will accompany me on the mission."

"I see. Well orders are orders, if they were let in then they can do whatever they want… Actually scratch that, not everything though. Please, do NOT touch anything, I refuse to take responsibility for electrocution." The mechanic warned them with a serious look on his face, and once he saw that the young adults understood, he turned around, motioning with his wings for them to follow.

"As you can probably guess, this is where we get our electricity. The floor amplifies the water's power, flowing that through that metal pipe. It has turbines in it which spin thanks to the water, and that big thing on top is the generator itself." He explained how it worked, earning a wow from the group behind him. Lucas and Diana were awestruck by the sheer size of it, while Blu was impressed how simple designed it was. The fact that this thing continued to work 24/7 for decades after the humans abandoned it spoke volumes of their engineering skills.

"What is actually causing it to fail? This is my first peek at it, but I can't find any problems. No rusty or oxidized wires, no leakage anywhere." Blu spoke up, going right to business. As much as he wanted to stay and learn every detail he could, he understood how serious the problem was and didn't want to waste a single second if he could help it.

"Good eyes Blu, Casper was right about you." Silvio complemented the insight before offering an explanation. "The problem lies beneath. You just came in the perfect time, I was about to inspect it anyways. We will need to turn off the waterflow before we can get inside though."

"Excuse me, but wouldn't that lead to a power outage?" Diana queried, not showing particular interest in the subject but she was curious enough to know how they would tackle the problem. The mechanic smiled at the question, happy to answer it.

"You are correct Miss Diana. It would lead to a power outage, but we have the perfect tool to combat that problem." He turned towards the opposite side of the room, a wingtip pointing towards a bunch of rectangle boxes with wires coming in and out of them. The shapes were eerily familiar to the trio, and the blue macaw's following answer confirmed that to them. "We got batteries for the downtime."

Seeing no further questions on the young adults faces, Silvio quickly stretched his body before he leaped in the air, flying over to the table next to them, his talons scraping the metal on landing. "Let's turn off this baby." He walked over to a rather big lever, grabbing the handle with his left talon. He shifted weight to his left talon, gathering his entire body's strength to pull the lever towards him. For the first few seconds nothing happened, but after that his strength overcame the resistance and successfully pulled it.

The trio heard a clank, like metal hitting metal before something opened up before the generator's entrance. The newly formed hole and gravity forced the water to drop down instead of flowing inside, blasting off the other side missing the metal pipe completely. For a moment the lights seemed to dim before returning to normal strength. They could hear a few creaks as the generator came to a full stop a few seconds later.

The mechanic picked up a small screwdriver… for human standards. He calmly flew over to the generator's base, motioning the others to meet him. Diana and Lucas hesitated for a moment, thinking the wires were too close for their comfort but Blu just charged ahead, no fear in his eyes whatsoever. This gave them the courage to follow him, later on landing next to the mechanic with a respectable distance to make sure they were not in the way.

Silvio unscrewed six screws as delicately and graciously as a macaw could, revealing the precious insides. Of course for Lucas and Diana, it looked like jumbled mess of wires and metal, even Blu was having trouble identifying what each component's purpose was. He could immediately see that it was not normal however, as rust and other dirt plagued the insides like a vile illness.

"The… armature and commutator is rusted? And I see the coils are all but gone now." Blu tried to guess the problem, his voice full of doubt and confusion.

The other macaw was surprised how accurate his deduction was one again, even if it was not entirely correct. The statement turned to question half way still earned Blu a proud nod from the mechanic. "Almost. The commutator is not broken, that's the shaft. But other than that, excellent observation. Remind me to scold your father as much as a subordinate can his superior, I could have used a helping hand like you around here."

* * *

**One hour later**

The trio entered the next run down building without too much difficulty. After they finished talking to Silvio, the group headed out for their next destination. The guard let them through the moment he recognized Blu, who was thankful the word spread quicker than before. This facility was much more packed with macaws, although the average age was equal to their own. Just as they passed the reception, a loud bell interrupted their thoughts, causing all three to get closer to each other as they prepared for the upcoming assault.

Just as they predicted, the doors soon enough opened up unleashing dozens of macaws, flooding the hallway as they made their way to either their next class or home. The trio made their way through the crowd, looking for a specific room as they dodged macaws who were either in a hurry or didn't pay attention. "Why couldn't Mrs. Costa call us, I don't know, at the end of the school day? I did get my week off after all." Lucas grumbled as he nearly missed a young woman who sprinted past him, probably late for a class.

"When did you become such a crybaby? This is your second complaining today." Diana retorted with an annoyed tone, slightly shaking her head in disbelief. She didn't need a pouting Lucas on top of her problems, but although she wouldn't admit it, she kind of agreed with him on the matter. The man was about to disagree but decided against it in the last second when his eyes locked on a room number. The group dropped everything they were doing and walked up to the entrance, thinking about who should open the door. A bird beat them to it.

"Oh." Sara was startled for a second but recovered herself when she realized who they were. "Right on time! Come in, welcome, it is so nice to see you three." She greeted the three macaws enthusiastically, motioning her wings as a come in gesture. She was rather tall for macaw standards, and a distinguishing feature was her two differently colored eyes, emerald green and golden yellow to be exact.

The trio quickly walked inside before a student could realize where they were going. As soon as the professor closed the door the ambient volume dropped so much they felt a bit empty without the constant chattering of macaws all around them. The room was not big for human standards, but that meant it was perfect to hold lectures for a decent sized macaw audience.

"Please, take a seat, make yourselves comfortable." Mrs. Costa politely offered, indicating towards three pedestals next to his work desk already prepared. The young adults nodded and sat down, patiently waiting for the professor to sit down herself.

"Thank you Mrs. Costa. I suppose you know why we are here?" Diana initiated conversation, not forgetting for a moment the macaw was still her professor and thus superior. Blu and Lucas were listening but judging by their body language neither was really planning to engage too much in the topic, not that she would blame them. After all, she didn't pay that much attention to Silvio when he engaged techno babble with Blu.

"Yes, the tribe leader informed be about your involvement. Now, as all three of you know, I'm not the type of person who likes to beat around the bush, so to properly understand why Miss Diana and I are coming along, you all need to know the full picture… And don't worry, I got the leader's permission to tell you." Sara began her explanation, directing her attention to Blu before she continued. "Mr. Gunderson, do you know what your father is actually planning for the future, leadership wise?"

"Ugh… No." Blu stuttered a bit before he regained his posture, surprised the macaw addressed him so suddenly. The question was surprising as well, because as far as he knew his father mentioned no such thing. Then again, even though he was Casper's son, the blue macaw didn't talk too much about his work at home, at least not anymore. He stopped when Blu was about five years old, and he would be willing to bet his mother had something to do with it.

"As I said before, it isn't exactly a secret, but not that well known either, so I would appreciate it if this remained between us. Nevertheless, you will need to know about it because of the mission… You see, your father wants to abolish the power inheritance system." She let the information sink in and observed the trio's reaction carefully with a smirk on her face she didn't even bother to hide. As expected, their eyes widened in either surprise or shock.

Lucas and Diana tried to subtly glance at Blu to get an idea what he might be feeling. They were half expecting betrayal, anger or dismay but found none of that. Diana swore she saw a glimpse of relief. "Our history is not exactly filled with a stable lineage when it comes to rulers. Not that our neighbors are better but still. This is only a guess, but I believe your father is worried about you." Sara added.

The comment forced Blu to raise an eyebrow at the older macaw. "Worried about me? Why? I'm not in any danger." He bluntly retorted as carefully as he could without insulting the professor. She broke eye contact for a moment, looking down her desk as her demeanor changed dark worryingly fast compared to the cheery attitude they all knew her for.

"Not in danger… at the moment."

"What do you mean by that?" Diana joined in on the conversation, worried about the sudden negative and ominous statement made by the professor. All three macaws made and refused to break eye contact, silently trying to pressure Mrs. Costa to reveal whatever she knew. They could see she was beginning to feel uncomfortable but it was too late now, they wanted to know what she meant by that. Finally, she gave in, sighing heavily in the process.

"Gosh I feel old talking like this, but your generation had the luxury to grow up in a rather stable internal political climate, so neither of you know how bad a power struggle can be. People and sometimes entire families attempt coup d'etats when they feel a particular leader is weak enough." She explained, eyeing the young macaws to see if they followed. Neither made any obvious sign that they didn't understand. "Right now, your father is a strong macaw with near universal support, but as he grows old and viewpoints change, things might go downhill fast."

"He understands you are not interested in leading this tribe and respects it… But he is also terrified when the time comes for you to inherit his title, as people might come after you to secure their own position. Most of the time, birds who assassinate others are cruel power hungry tyrants. And if that happens, then we will be thrown into another civil war which will weaken our position on the map further." Sara didn't know if she should be relieved when she finally saw emotions rise on the blue macaws faces, since those emotions were either horror, disturbed or worried.

"Although not all coup d'etats are necessarily bad. After all, that was how your family got the title after your great grandfather assassinated that tyrant Salvador Vento." She quickly added in an attempt to remedy the situation. It seemed to have worked, although she mentally kicked herself for even going in that direction. She could have just told some other lighter but still true excuse, instead of throwing the worst possible scenario at their faces. Luckily they were taking it rather well all things considered, especially Blu.

Lucas was the next to speak up, eager to get his question through. He understood why Blu's father would want to abolish the current system, seeing how dangerous it could be, but he couldn't imagine any other alternative. "But how does he plan to fix this then? If power will not be inherited then how will the next leader be selected? Whoever gets a flag first or wins a duel?"

Sara chuckled at the suggestion, imagining grown ups fighting over a flag pole to secure their position as tribe leader. "Not really. A merchant mentioned a concept which really caught our leader's interest… It will be the thing Diana and I will closely study as long as we will be in Rio. From what the toucan told us, it really is a simple yet effective way of governing a tribe. I believe he called it 'democracy'?" The professor could see they didn't know what she was talking about and recalled her own discussion with the tribe leader, summarizing the key points in her head with speed which only a teacher could via years of academic experience.

"From what we understood, you give power to the people. Potential candidates are selected and are in power until the next election. So far that is all we know." Sara shrugged at the last statement, a bit disappointed she doesn't know more herself. Blu and Diana seemed to be satisfied by the answer, but interestingly enough Lucas was the one to query further on the issues he saw with this new potential system.

"And how will this help us exactly? Sounds like too much extra bureaucracy work." He questioned without any malice or ill intent in his voice and tone, curious what the potential benefits were and why it would be worth switching a system used by all types of wildlife for literally millions of years.

"It saves royal people from terrible power struggles like Blu here. It also makes corruption harder since the people can just demote whoever leads them badly. But as I said before, that is all we know for now. That is why we are coming along." She finished her explanation, indicating there was nothing more she knew or could say in the matter.

Sara was met with a couple seconds of silence and added before things would turn awkward between them. "Well that was all I wanted to say. Diana, I would like to have a private word with you tomorrow so we can discuss this in more detail." The young macaw understood what she meant and nodded her head in understanding. Mrs. Costa smiled and looked towards a clock on the wall, reading the time one it.

Believing she bombarded them with enough hard truth for a good while, she turned back towards the trio and dismissed them with a smile on her face, although hidden within that impression was a silent 'I don't want to be you right now' which all three of them picked up to their dismay. "I believe you three still have training with that Lopes fellow soon, better get going. I heard his training is quite tough."

* * *

**Twenty minutes later**

The Spix's macaw training grounds were located next to the tribe's edge, consisting of both open terrain and dense jungle trees to cover all possible scenarios a macaw might find itself within the Amazon. This was the place where all blue macaw guards and soldiers learned and honed their skills, but for whatever reason the area was rather deserted today, not counting a few birds here and there doing their own thing.

Just like everyone who reaches mid teenage years, Blu and his friends received the same basic training, so these grounds were not totally unfamiliar to them. As the three macaws soared through the sky, they were looking for a particular gray eyed parrot. Lucas's sharp eyesight found Mark to be perched on a high branch just shy of the training grounds very center. For whatever reason, the parrot had a belt on him. Lucas slowly banked to the left altering both his friends and causing them to look in the direction, understanding why the sudden change in direction.

"Aha! I see all three of you arrived, just in time in fact. Got anything to report?" Mark greeted the trio once they were within earshot, indicating with both his wings for them to land next to him. The young adults did so silently without question, folding up their wings when their talons got a secure hold on the branch, their weight and speed causing the branch to move a tiny bit before becoming rigid again.

"Hello sir, nothing to report." Lucas took the initiative, answering the older macaw's question as fast and directly as possible. Blu and Diana chose to just nod in greeting, having nothing to add to the conversation or Lucas's statement. Mark's gray eyes scanned through the three parrots in a probing manner, openly showing them he was sizing up each individual.

"I see… Well then, before we do anything, let's get over this little test to see if any of you are even ready to step outside our tribe." He informed them but his tone had a subtle change in it which all three picked up on. It was no longer the casual tone they knew him for but much more strict and authoritative in nature. This caused them to adjust their posture and pay better attention.

"An added bonus is that this test will also measure your base skills so I will know how to approach you three on a personal level and as a whole. One week is laughably little to improve, but we work with what we have." Once his 'suck it up' statement was passed, a quick flick of his right talon caused all three to jump in surprise when three additional blue macaws with long sticks on their backs descended from above, catching them off guard.

They failed miserably to hide this fact and it caused the veteran to chuckle slightly. "Well I see we will have to work on situational awareness for one thing." He commented aloud but gave them no time to think about it as another flick signaled the new macaws to remove the stick and throw it at the unsuspecting trio. All three of them managed to catch it, even if they were a bit clumsy in doing so. The one closest to the scarred macaw also gave him three shining balls suspended by thin red threads.

After that, the new macaws silently leaped in the air and were gone without speaking a word, causing Blu to raise his eye. The confusion was not lost on Mark and realized it was time to get to work. He raised the three balls which made subtle clanging noises, showing them off to the trio. _Bells. What does he want with bells?_ Blu questioned within himself, and his facial expression told Mark to explain.

"Your job will be very simple. To prove yourselves fit for the job, all you have to do is get a bell from me before nightfall. Whoever fails to acquire one will be removed from the mission." The gray eyed macaw explained their objective with a visible grin on his face. Before either could respond, he spoke up once more. "Do not get comfortable. It may very well happen that all of you get one or neither. Rank and family has no meaning here." He added, a grin appearing on his face. He will be enjoying this.

Mark quickly tied the threads to the makeshift belt and turned ninety degrees on the branch, extending his right wing towards his now confused pupils, while repositioning his legs to get a better grip and support his balance. The bells chimed as he moved, which means stealth will probably not be used by him. The stance he took was familiar and sure enough, all three of them recognized it. "Now remember. If you don't come at me with intent to _kill_, you will not get a bell."

The order was understood right away and the young adults got into position. Diana leaped off and landed on another branch, since her sight was blocked by both Blu and Lucas. It was simply not wide enough for all three of them. Seeing as they were as ready as they could be, Mark began the test. "BEGIN!" His deep voice rang throughout the area, causing all three macaws to raise their guards but neither moved. _So, neither wants to open huh? Could it be they figured it out so fast?_ He thought to himself, observing his new opponents closely.

Diana was no fool, she knew Mark was a skilled fighter and the fact he didn't even bother to bring a weapon with him meant that he was either really overconfident or knew they were nowhere near good enough to touch him. Whichever it was, there was only one way to know for sure. She suddenly leaped off the branch, quickly exchanging the weapon from her wings to her now free talons. Turns out she was only a second faster than Blu, who stopped himself in the last moment, not wanting to get in his friends way. It seemed Lucas followed similar logic.

Without any distraction, Mark was easily able to turn his attention at the incoming macaw, waiting for her to come closer. Diana attempted to swing the stick, her aim was to hit the scarred bird's right shoulder, which would remove his ability to get into the air, thus giving Diana a very valuable edge. Unfortunately, her well thought out plan failed miserably when Mark quickly ducked and caught her stick, firmly holding it in place as her body continued to soar through the air.

Mark used the movement's direction and the stick to spin her around, practically tossing her away like a slingshot. The female hit a nearby branch, rendering her useless for a good while. With Diana temporarily out of the picture, Blu felt comfortable enough to charge ahead, aiming to knock the macaw off his feet since he had no weapons to retaliate. Due to throwing Diana away, Mark's back was turned towards him, giving Blu the false illusion of being in control. He prepared to swing his stick, aiming at the opponent's talons, but in the last moment he hesitated realizing he was not really an enemy.

His hesitation caused him the engagement, because the ruckus he made along the way alerted the macaw of his intentions and Mark turned around. Without even thinking, the older macaw punched the leader's son in the stomach, not hard enough to cause injury but it managed to knock the wind out of him. Blu dropped the stick and held his abdomen in slight pain, dropping down from his talons to his stomach on the branch.

The first and only surprise until now was delivered by Lucas, who suddenly appeared behind the dropping Blu, intent to hit his target. Mark's eyes widened, but he managed to recover himself before the stick could make contact with his body. He brought up both wings, catching the stick and managing to block off his attack.

The impact was strong enough to actually push the gray eyed macaw backwards, his talons scraping the tree bark beneath them. Using the fact that Mark holding the stick acted like a base, he flapped his wings to cancel out the remaining forward momentum, landing on the branch before the older macaw could use the situation and send him flying away like he did with Diana.

He tried to momentarily overpower the veteran but quickly realized he was getting nowhere in that department. He quickly moved back, grasping the weapon tightly, forcing his opponent to let go. _Casper was right. This kid is good._ Mark thought to himself, approving of the skills his student showed, but disappointed that Lucas too failed to show the one quality he was actually looking for.

The young macaw launched himself once again, using his stick to hit the macaw on the head. This forced Mark to block his attack with both wings, leaving him open. _This is it!_ Lucas thought to himself in victory, extending a talon to reach one of the dangling bells. The scarred macaw shot him a bored glance, quickly jumping up, using the stick to easily stay in the air and jump behind the other bird. Lucas cursed the opponent's fast reflexes, turning his head around to see what the scarred macaw was up to.

The following moments caused him to curse his own slow reaction time, because the older parrot punched him right in the face, causing him to ease his grip on the weapon, later on releasing it completely as he fell back on the branch, instinctively holding up his wings to his face to sooth the pain. Mark jumped back just in case, observing the other two macaws as they recovered from his earlier assault. "Seriously. Are you three even trying?" He taunted them with a boring expression, not impressed with their performance one bit.

"Ow. Of course we are trying! This ain't fair!" Lucas snapped at the blue bird in anger, quickly forgetting the pain he was experiencing. He quickly got back on his feet and prepared his body to charge when Diana landed in front of him.

"Suck it up kid, life ain't fair. Your enemies won't give a shit if a fight is fair or not either." Mark remarked with a snort, preparing for the woman's assault.

For the next two hours, the three young macaws kept charging the blue bird, trying all sorts of tactics and timings, but ultimately they failed to get a bell. The only thing they could show for their efforts were a few lucky hits and sometimes just barely brushing one of the silver balls with either wings or talons. Nightfall was fast approaching, causing all three of them to stress out. Coupling with the fact that all three of them were extremely tired, the situation looked completely hopeless. The worst part was the fact that Mark didn't even look a bit tired at all. All he did was throw in a random insult or taunt now and then, further going under the trio's skin.

_This is beyond stupid! He is an elite warrior, while we are basically civilians. How did he or father even think any of us could get a bell?!_ Blu thought to himself while he panted tiredly, watching as Lucas engaged the blue macaw with various kicks and swings. He glanced up at the sky and could see the sun approaching the horizon. _We might have an hour before sunset. There is no way we can break his defense._

As Blu watched the fight unfold, he could see Lucas losing the engagement, even though he was desperately trying to catch the scarred parrot off guard. From the corner of his vision, Blu saw a furious Diana charge in, attempting to tackle the opponent. _No way that will work._ He chuckled, waiting to see if his prediction came true or not. Unsurprisingly, the female's attack was dodged without much effort. He was about to glance away to occupy his mind when something clicked inside his head.

He watched as Lucas dashed ahead, extending a talon towards one of the bells closest to his body. In a normal one on one that was a foolish move, but Blu's eyes grew in surprise when the blue eyed macaw almost managed to snatch it. _If Diana attempted to tackle him a few seconds later it would have worked…_

…

…

**_WAIT! THAT'S IT!_** He screamed internally, slapping himself as a form of self punishment for not realizing it earlier. _If we can't get it ourselves, we should help each other. After all, he didn't say anything about how we get the bells._

The realization gave him a huge adrenaline rush, erasing all the fatigue and pain he felt. _We need a plan. And fast._ He dashed forward from his place on the branch, flying towards Diana who just recovered from her failed attack. She was about to leap in the air when she saw the dashing macaw coming towards her. She tensed up, thinking Blu was somehow trying to sabotage her, but the blue bird landed in front of her, chocolate brown eyes looking into golden yellow. "Diana, we need to fetch Lucas and get away for a while."

"WHAT?! Blu, we are almost out of time. We don't have time to rest." She retorted immediately, almost shouting at the bird in front of her. Thankfully Mark and Lucas were too involved in their match to notice, at least that was what Blu hoped.

"We've been at it for hours now, and Mark doesn't even look tired. Look, it is quite clear neither of us can get a bell from him on our own… _We need to work together._" Blu reasoned, not removing eye contact with the woman, studying her every reaction. At first he was met with anger, then confusion and finally shock. She was mad at herself for not realizing sooner, but a punch's noise caused her to focus on the world around her once more.

Both birds glanced towards the sound's origin, catching as Lucas fell down on the branch once again thanks to a punch Mark delivered to his stomach. Without even a word, the two Spix's macaws dashed forward. The scarred bird looked to his right after hearing talons scraping the wood and saw the two adults charging right at him. _Hmm, they are charging together… Perhaps… finally?_ Mark questioned himself, bracing himself for their impact. For once, he had to fight the urge to smirk at the development, choosing to remain as stoic as possible.

Their actions were met with a mix of disappointment and confusion, because the two didn't tackle him, in fact they flew right past him. He turned his head around, following their forms only to see them grabbing the downed macaw and flying towards the dense canopy of a nearby tree, disappearing from view. _What could they be up to now?_ He questioned himself, going into a defensive stance and watching his surroundings for a possible ambush.

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?!" Lucas yelled in a confusion, trying to get out of their collective grasp but failing to do so. Blu and Diana continued to fly until they were sure their teacher was out of hearing range before landing on a tree's wide branch, releasing the fussing Lucas in the process. "Explain yourselves!" He demanded angrily, standing up and glaring at the duo.

"Calm down big boy. Unlike with us, it seems like Mark managed to beat out the dumb from Blu… Care to explain?" Diana lightly scolded the blue eyed macaw, later turning towards Blu and looking at him for a detailed explanation. The leader's son quickly nodded and began by telling his thought process.

"Like I explained to Diana, we can't beat him by ourselves. We need to work together and come up with a very solid plan to take the bells from him… Besides, he didn't tell us how to get the bells. Only to have one before nightfall." The reasoning Blu provided made Lucas shut up and think. Just like Diana before him, he wanted to slap himself when he realized how much sense Blu made. He simply nodded, agreeing with the team up. Blu smiled, glad to see they could cooperate. "Alright. While we decide on this, we can use the time to rest a bit. So… here's what I think."

* * *

**Half an hour later**

Mark was resting on the branch's base, his back against the jungle tree's trunk as he glanced outwards. He got tired of standing on the edge like an idiot, expecting an attack that was not coming. The scarred macaw was starting to get excited when Blu and Diana dashed away with Lucas, hoping they might have figured out the test and prepared for a joint attack. But that happened half an hour ago and no sign of them anywhere. He was concerned they might have just gave up and left, but surely they wouldn't be that rude and not tell him right? After all, he had better things to do too, seeing his wife and kids for one.

The macaw closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, not sure what to think. The sun was very close to the horizon now, which meant the chances of them to snatch a bell were running out fast. As he relaxed, his hearing became sharper to compensate for his current lack of vision. He could hear the ambient jungle noises coupled with a few very faint voices which didn't belong to his new pupils. Mark was about to stretch his body when suddenly his ears picked up cracks coming from in front of him.

He quickly opened his eyes, just in time to see a blue blur flying towards him with almost blinding speed. His body quickly tensed up and the bird was in the air a moment later, just barely missing his attacker. He quickly turned around mid flight to see as Lucas banked to the left, aborting his tackle attempt before he crashed into the tree trunk. _So he used the time to rest up? Huh. That won't help you son._ He thought to himself, preparing for battle once again.

Mark was about to land on a nearby branch to take his defensive stance when he heard wing flaps from below him. His eyes quickly shot down to see the source of the noise, only to see Diana charging at him with her stick ready to stab him. He quickly dodged the macaw, but by the time he was out of danger Lucas managed to recover and flew below him, stopping him from landing. _He wants to keep me in the air. But did he just use the opportunity Diana made or did they plan it together?_ His questions couldn't be answered because he was suddenly busy dodging Lucas's claws.

Diana was next to block his attempt of landing, and that move solidified Mark's theory. The two macaws were definitely working together. He was actually surprised how well Lucas was fighting, considering how drained his stamina was. What Mark failed to realize was the reason why the male was attacking the way he did. Each attack was dashing forward, forcing the older macaw to back away from the tree.

Whenever Mark managed to completely dodge an attack instead of blocking it, his escape route was blocked by Diana. "Keeping me in the air won't help you that much you know." He commented, but got zero response back. Both macaws continued their strategy, confusing the gray eyed macaw more and more. _Where is Blu thought?_

Finally after a few minutes of this rather intense assault, Diana made a mistake and cleared an opening for the older macaw to escape. At least that's what she wanted him to think. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Mark quickly flew past them, landing on the closest branch. His two attackers didn't give him too much room to breath, following him and landing on opposite sides. The scarred macaw glanced up at the sky and saw it was now orange, indicating the sun will be down any minute now.

He took up his defensive stance and waited for the duo to make their moves first. Lucas dashed forward, his stick raised in order to land a blow on the macaw's head. He easily blocked it, locking both of them in place. He heard Diana charge at him from behind, trying to stab him through the back. Just in case, he angled his body to the side just enough to dodge the attack while making sure that as she passed him, he could change the angle enough that it won't go through Lucas by accident.

Once the two macaws recovered from the failed attack, they charged again, but this time their assault was shamefully blunt and easy to counter. Using his wings, he grabbed both sticks and held them firmly. He made sure to extend his wings so his opponents had to step back unless they wanted to risk being disarmed. This distance made sure he was safe from any kicks or bell snatching. The three macaws were now in a deadlock, the two younger ones glaring at the center bird. "You two have certainly improved. But this is not enough to take the bells." He taunted the parrots, but instead of the rage they displayed earlier, Lucas remained calm while Diana smirked.

"Who said this was all?" Diana mocked, the tone of her voice sent shivers down Mark's spine. "BLU! NOW!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, causing the older macaw to frantically look around the area. Once his hearing recovered from the female's shout, he heard a faint whoosh noise coming from behind him.

_WHAT?!_ He exclaimed to himself, failing to react in time to the threat he just managed to identify. The two macaws let go of their weapons and jumped backwards, just moments before a bola hit Mark in the back, knocking the wind out of him instantly. The sudden obstacle caused the thread to bend, forcing the two heavy balls at both end to start wrapping themselves around the macaw's body.

Mark looked up and could see the sun, the brilliantly orange disk was almost completely hidden now. He glanced downwards when he saw something on his peripheral vision. Once his eyes focused on the low light levels, he saw a grinning Blu dashing towards him full speed, claw extended for one of the bells on his belt. He heard Diana and Lucas jumping at him too. _Incredible, what marvelous teamwork! Did they just toy with me and hid their abilities all this time or could they just sync up well after figuring out the true reason? Heh… Looks like this test is over._ The mix of shock and frown on his face was replaced with a smirk of his own, which caused distress to his three opponents.

Just before they made contact and could snatch the bells in question, the veteran moved his body in a way he could utilize the three macaws extended and sharp talons. As he tilted his body, the claws which were supposed to get the bells were met with the bola's vines, cutting them without much effort at all. By the time the three realized what happened it was already over. The macaws flew off in opposite directions while Mark jumped away, regaining his lost freedom.

The trio quickly recovered and cussed that their plan failed when they could practically taste victory. They landed on the branch with Mark, surrounding the macaw. Blu was so occupied with his trap that he failed to realize just how dark it was. He glanced up and horror morphed on his face. Lucas and Diana caught on and looked up, trying to find out what the terrified macaw was looking at, after all it was not like their teacher would attack them.

"FUCK!" Lucas shouted in rage, watching helplessly as the Sun's now blood red disk fully disappeared below the horizon. The younger macaws let out a collective sigh and relaxed their bodies in defeat. It was nightfall, and neither of them had a bell. They failed.

"We were so close…" Blu grumbled under his breath, fighting with his own emotions. He didn't want to rage like Lucas did, even though he was beyond angry. The chance was there, it was perfect, and they blew it. Once they got their emotions somewhat under control, the macaws looked at the gray eyed parrot, preparing for their defeat to be announced. _Great work Blu, you managed to fuck up your father's plans._ Blu scolded himself, but like his teammates, his face quickly displayed confusion when they saw that Mark was smiling at them, looking proud.

"Congratulations! You all pass." He exclaimed, never dropping his smile, and his voice didn't contain even a drop of sarcasm or lying. For the next few seconds silence filled the air around the four macaws.

The trio's brain just crashed and was in the middle of a reboot. Blu was the first to break the silence with a simple but astonished question. _"What?_" Mark just chuckled at the reaction.

"The test was never about getting the bells. I'm a seasoned veteran who saw war. You three are fresh out of school. There is absolutely no way either of you could have gotten one… Know why we place new soldiers on teams of three?" He asked the confused macaws, who managed to finally snap out of their daze and think properly. They shook their heads, having ideas but nothing concrete.

"Teamwork. Everyone excels at something, while lacking in other areas. By placing people in teams, everyone can cover each others weaknesses effectively." He explained, earning understanding nods from his three pupils. After all, it was not a hard concept to understand. "I'll be honest, you three came _very close_ to failing, but managed to prevail at the end. The teamwork displayed was phenomenal." His smile never faded away, but internally he started to get a bit worried by their dumbstruck expression. Mark was about to say something but refrained from doing so, and later on he was thankful for that decision.

When the full reality sank in for the three macaws, Lucas was the first to form a big goofy grin on his face, raising his fist formed wings high in the air, yelling in delight. "YEAH! WE DID IT!" The sudden outburst of energy had a drastic but positive effect on his teammates.

Diana was shocked at first and that later turned into a sincere smile as she laughed, not caring what the others might have thought. "We're in. We're really in." A few stray tears escaped her eyes, but the young woman wiped them away without anyone noticing, at least that was what she hoped.

Blu remained silent but there was absolutely no way anyone could have wiped off the grin on his face. He looked over to his two closest friends, proud to be on the same team as them on this no doubt dangerous mission. _Yeah. **_We _**_did it.* He repeated to himself, enjoying the moment. Mark was silent, he didn't want to interrupt their celebration but sadly time was not on their side.

"I really hate to be the party pooper of the group, but before we finish this no doubt exhausting day, we need to discuss a few things." The veteran macaw chimed in, catching the younger birds attention. They finally managed to calm down, reducing their excitement from yelling to just grins and smiles. Once Mark saw that he can speak freely, he did so.

"We have exactly one week before the mission starts. We will have training exercises every day to improve a lot of things. Situational awareness, speed, attack and defense form etcetera. First thing in the morning, 8 AM. Don't be late." The gray eyed macaw explained, earning a firm nod from each macaw in front of him. Seeing their exhaustion kicking in, he decided to end the day there.

"Dismissed." The three Spix's macaws leaped off the branch and were gone within a second, blending in on the now starry and black night, leaving the scarred veteran alone on the tree.

* * *

…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…

* * *

**Honestly, I don't even know why I keep trying to excuse my horrible update times if I don't do anything to change it…**

**I should have told this earlier, but I guess better later than never? I set up a forum, so if you want to have open discussions with me feel free to check by my corner on the internet.**

**Also, friendly reminder I made a discord server for this archive if any of you are interested in more real time interactions with me and others. Links in my bio.**

**See you all in the next decade!**


	6. First blood

**Chapter 6**

First blood

**Disclaimer**

_I do not own Rio._

* * *

**O****ne week later**

Blu perched on the highest branch of a jungle tree, scanning the surrounding area with his brown eyes eagerly. The sun barely rose above the horizon, drowning the Amazon in its warm light. He could see blue macaws already up and about, beginning their no doubt busy day.

He woke up well before the sun even shown itself to make sure he had everything packed up and ready. A couple of birds were dumbstruck seeing the leader's son out in the open, since it was common knowledge by this point that Blu was not an early riser. Interestingly enough it looked like he was the first to arrive.

He sported a gray fanny pack, filled with the necessary supplies one must bring with them on a trip this long and dangerous. Blitzkrieg was strapped on his back securely, not accepting the standard wooden spear Mark wanted to supply him with originally. After bugging the blue macaw all week long when the training sessions ended, the veteran finally gave in and allowed him to bring it, much to the relief of both his friends.

The scarred parrot was very curious and tried to probe as much as he could once he finally saw the weapon, but surprisingly Blu managed to hold out, adamant on keeping his secret to himself. Mark was not stupid, he knew that weapon had more to it than Blu let on. If not for the shape, then just by knowing Blu's hobby of making random contraptions in his spare time, but he decided to drop it because the last thing Mark wanted was to weaken their unit cohesion.

As Blu's gaze continued to sweep across his horizon, he caught a glimpse of a bird who was very familiar to him. He focused on the blue blur which kept growing in size, identifying him as one of his closest friends. After about a minute, the bird in question managed to lock on Blu's figure and silently landed next to him a few seconds later, wings folding up once his talons made contact with the wood.

"Blu is the first one here? At this hour? Is the world really ending today?" Lucas didn't even bother to greet his friend, moving on right away to playfully mock his sleeping habits, attempting to start their day on a bright mood. His response was met by a harmless shoulder punch from the teased macaw.

"Oh ha ha. Very funny." Blu sarcastically remarked, rolling his eyes in pretended annoyance. No matter what he did, Diana and Lucas just couldn't stop teasing him for his sleeping habits. He liked his sleep god damn it! He inspected the friendly parrot more thoroughly, raising an eye at the obvious lack of something he thought should be there. "Weren't you supposed to carry the transporting net for the parts?"

Lucas's response was to shake his head. "Nope. Last minute change in plans. Rodrigo will be tasked with that." Blu didn't say anything to that, ending that conversation with just a mere nod. The two remained silent for the next five minutes, enjoying the relative peace and quiet the morning provided. Neither felt awkward about the silence, but Lucas wanted to change that if he could help it.

"So. Our first real mission huh?" He stated, not removing his eyes from the horizon where the remainder of his team was supposed to appear.

"Yeah. We're not little brats anymore. I don't know how to feel about this though." Blu responded, his voice sounding a bit heavier than usual. This caused the blue eyed macaw to glance towards his friend in a questioning manner.

"What you mean?"

"Not going to lie, I'm really happy dad decided to trust me enough to allow this to happen. You do not want to know what my mother's reaction was when she first heard about it." Just the mention of Blu's mother made Lucas shudder. He remembered a few times when they got in trouble for mischief, that woman was no joke. Compared to her, Diana was a gentle flower when it came to angry outbursts.

"But another part of me is a bit… I don't know, scared? Adults are now going to treat us as equals, but am I selfish or… even weak to miss the protection childhood provided?" Blu questioned, but even he didn't know if the question was directed for Lucas or himself. Maybe both. "When we were kids, all we had to worry about was what we wanted to do all day. Now we're going to have full blown responsibilities. It's a bit daunting."

The question definitely caught Lucas off guard, but after silently pondering over it for almost half a minute, he realized it was not as easy to answer it as he originally thought. The points Blu made seemed valid, at least he admitted that he felt the same way. "Selfish? Weak? For being afraid of the future and missing the protection childhood gave you? Nah. I don't think so. It just means you have feelings. Nothing to be ashamed of." He answered honestly, turning towards the blue macaw, causing Blu to mirror his actions.

"We're not kids anymore. We are men now, it is time we paid back the debt we owe to the tribe for raising us in a happy and safe life yeah?" Lucas extended one of his wings, curling the end to resemble a fist. Blu thought about what his friend said and smiled in return, nodding his head.

"Yeah." He extended his own wing, meeting the other parrot's in a friendly fist bump. They rocked a small smile on their beaks, enjoying the rare bonding time. To their dismay, a feminine voice chimed in, catching both of them by surprise.

"Aww. You two would make a cute couple. When is the wedding?" Diana warbled with amusement, startling them further by dropping down to the branch right next to them. The two males shot glares at her, but instead of intimidating her it just caused Diana to progress from giggling to full out laughter.

"I'm sure you'd like it if we were a couple… We had a rare bro moment there you know. Girls always ruin things." Lucas grumbled, acting annoyed in the hopes of getting back at her with guilt tripping but the laugh reassured him it wasn't working. He just sighed in defeat and waited for the woman to regain her composure. When she was finally available to actually converse with, he decided to probe her for the rest of the team's whereabouts. "Any news on the others?"

"Nope, I uh… I actually thought they would be here already." She admitted a bit sheepishly, inside relieved that she wasn't late. Unlike her two companions, her morning did not start splendidly, causing her to run late by several minutes. It was then that she actually realized Blu was there too. Not only that, he was here _before her!_ "Lucas, who is this impostor? No way Blu is not still sleeping." She added with a very obviously faked accusing tone.

"Diannaaa. Not you too." Blu groaned, knowing the reaction was exactly what the golden eyed female wanted. He knew as long as he gave in, they would continue to tease him, but trying to ignore it was easier said than done. Before things could progress further down the 'pick on Blu's undying love for sleep' fiasco, he attempted to change the topic as subtly as possible. "For real though, where are the others? We should be going soon."

"Good question." Lucas pondered over the question, scanning the horizon to see if he could spot any of them. Something didn't add up; They were responsible adults, who were given a mission by non other than the tribe leader himself. Not to mention this was crucial to the flock's very existence. While he and Diana tried to find a logical reason, Blu slowly unfolded his wings, readying himself for flight, probably to try and round them up.

Their ears picked up the distinct sounds of branches snapping and leaves ruffling, tensing their bodies as an automatic response thanks to the vigorous training. The noises advanced, originating closer and closer to their position until they managed to distinguish three separate sources. The next few seconds were completely silent ignoring the ambient jungle noise. The three macaws instinctively reached for their weapons, ready to use them in a moment's notice.

Suddenly without warning, three blue blurs dashed out from the tree's canopy below them, each targeting a different macaw. Blu's eyes widened in shock before he realized what was happening. "Ring formation!" He yelled without even thinking, removing his weapon from his back, jumping back towards his friends. Lucas and Diana followed suit as neither had the time or reason to question his order, forming a ring on the middle of the wide tree branch, covering a full 360 degrees with their raised weapons.

The attackers swung their own weapons, clashing with the defenders, locking them in place. Time froze for a moment as the trio inspected the intruders in great detail. Their faces were wrapped around with cloth, hiding their identities.

Diana glared daggers at the fabric, trying to find any distinguishable feature she could use. After focusing enough on the holes left open to see, her eyes widened when two differently colored irises stared back at her. "What the." She mumbled under her breath, but the intruder heard her. The parrot raised one of its wings, causing the rest of them to jump back, giving the trio space to their surprise.

The mystery birds grabbed their cloths with a free talon and yanked them away, revealing their faces for all to see. The younger macaws stared at them for several seconds with stoic expressions, silent without speaking a word.

…

…

"**W****HAT****?!**" The trio yelled out in unison, almost falling of the branch in response. The faces they made were priceless and should have been saved in a picture for all to see. The intruders smirked or grinned, savoring the moment while it lasted. After Blu and his companions managed to restart their brains, they shouted together without even thinking what the other wanted to say. "**WHY DID YOU T****H****REE ATTACK US LIKE THAT?!**"

Once the outburst passed, Mark secured the weapon on his back. "Don't need to be so riled up. We were just doing a drill." He admitted, the grin never leaving his face. He was proud how far they managed to come in that one week. Sure, they were nowhere near a level where he would send them into battle willingly, but by working together they could probably take down less than three opponents of average skill.

Before the scarred macaw could continue on, additional wing flaps caught the disorganized group's attention. Six pair of eyes locked on the new intruders, but their gaze relaxed when they realized who the newcomers were. Casper Gunderson arrived with a few elders and guards in tow. The team straightened their posture, greeting the leader in unison.

Blu was not surprised when he saw his father's attitude. It was not the pleasant and friendly manner he was used to, but a strictly professional and collected one worthy of a leader. Casper silently nodded in a return greeting, studying them in close detail. Seeing that everything needed was there, he turned to Mark and the two silently conversed.

"I see everything is prepped and ready… It is time. I will not waste time nor bore any of you with long winded speeches." Casper announced, receiving the team's undivided attention. "Hold your head high, for you are a proud member of the Spix's macaw tribe. May your journey be successful. Godspeed, Team Lucifer." The six macaws almost instinctively raised a quick salute while waiting on Mark to make the first move. The gray eyed macaw stared at the tribe leader's light blue eyes for a moment longer, finding out all he needed to know.

The team leader turned around, unfolding and spreading his wings. He leaped in the air, quickly gaining altitude in the process. This notion was followed by all five members, and after a few seconds the branch was clear of blue macaws completely. Casper and his delegate watched silently as the six parrots, now known to the world as Team Lucifer flew away, racing towards the heart of the dangerous Amazon to the place which might hold their last hope of survival. _Good luck son._ He spoke to himself, taking one last glance at their retreating forms before turning around and getting ready for another exhausting day of politics.

* * *

**Five days later, 1****500**** kilometers south-east of the Spix's macaw camp**

The jungle was relatively silent tonight, the usually live and dynamic forest was almost frozen in place, only disturbed by the occasional movement of animals or the gentle breeze. The cloudless sky was filled with a sea of twinkling stars, keeping the half lit moon company in the unreachable heavens above.

Luna shined down upon the canopy, giving just enough light to illuminate the surface for most creatures to see. Six shadows silently moved above the leaves, blending in almost perfectly despite the clear hue difference. Their varying shades of blue helped them remain unseen to a casual observer.

The bird leading the group glanced up, acknowledging the time which had passed since their journey began. He looked back and could see the symptoms of fatigue starting to appear on every single macaw. "All right. I think we made enough progress for today. Let's find a place and bunker down for the night." He announced as silently as possible, making sure his voice could only be heard within a close proximity. Nobody said a word but deep down they were all relieved when hearing the order. The group slowly but surely decreased their speed, now looking in all directions to find a suitable place to rest.

"There! That looks like a good place to settle down." Diana's soft but tired voice spoke up while she manipulated her index feathers on the left wing just enough to convey the location without disrupting her flight. The small flock turned their gaze towards the direction, quickly finding the spot themselves.

"Very good Diana. We can land there." Mark approved of the location, proud of how soon his pupils got used to the true jungle in the last week or so. It came as a bit of a surprise as well, because out of all the younger adults, Lucas was the most well adapted to actual wilderness, something which was becoming a less common trait. He could see the advantages humanity offered, but still believed they were wild birds, belonging in the chaotic world of nature.

Without another word, the group banked to the left, flying over to the designated area. The macaws extended their wings to the maximum, gracefully gliding forward until their talons scraped the tree bark. Once their legs could support their bodies whole weight, the macaws folded their wings and began to scan the immediate area for possible threats.

Diana's choice was now obvious to everyone involved. The tree branched out a lot, giving them plenty of space to rest on the level they were on, while the branches above and below them slightly curved, hiding the place pretty well from prying eyes. "We can pack down here. Blu, how is our supply doing?" Mark began preparing the area for a well deserved rest. Upon hearing the new set of orders, the blue macaws placed down their supplies and weapons, finding a comfortable place to catch some shuteye.

"Considering we were on the road for five days now? We are doing excellently. Probably rationing too much to be honest." Blu swiftly reported their status, checking the various supplies they were carrying with them. Most of the food was reserved for this part of the journey, which leads through the eastern wastelands they have to cross in order to get to their destination. Thankfully they rationed well, so for now everything was going according to plan.

"Good. Things are going smooth so far." Mark responded, but his voice carried faint traces of worry and unease as he spoke.

Lucas caught up on it and was glad someone else also noticed it. "Too smooth for comfort." He added his own observation to the mix, going by past experiences. No matter how well thought out a plan was, something was bound to go wrong, and the later it happened the worse consequences it carried.

Now they were far enough from the tribe that the only ones they could rely upon was themselves. Due to the nature of the lands they were currently on, even tribes were few and far between. This meant they were truly alone, or if they weren't, the company was guaranteed to not be friendly.

"Well I don't know about you boys, but I think I'm off to sleep." Sara announced, already finding a comfortable place near the base of the branch. She gathered about a dozen big leaves to cushion the rough tree bark, allowing her the maximum comfort possible for someone who is constantly on the move.

The rest of Team Lucifer followed her example, resulting in a chaotic airspace within the tree's canopy as the blue macaws searched for big enough leaves. Ten minutes later the tree was only inhabited by sleeping or dozing off macaws, close to each other to provide protection and increase the chance they can aid each other if someone decides to attack.

* * *

**Two hours later**

Diana slowly began to stir, her consciousness returning from the relatively peaceful slumber she enjoyed. She wondered for a moment why her her body woke her up, but a slightly dry throat gave the answer she was looking for. She slowly opened her eyes and they adjusted instantly, since the brightness didn't really differ from when her eyes were closed.

She glanced up and could still see the endless sea of stars and that weird white streak across the sky. Diana remembered how Blu once told Lucas and her that they were apparently a huge collection of suns just like the one they saw every day, only much further away. She dismissed the claim, not really understanding or interested how that could even work.

She slowly rose up and looked around, only to find everyone else fast asleep. Her body's urge was stronger now, and for a moment she considered opening up one of the bottles they carried with them to quench her thirst. The female slowly walked over and grabbed a bottle with her right talon, using her right wing to removed the top, exposing the liquid under it.

Diana raised it up to head level and was about to take a sip when she thought about it once more and came to a different conclusion. After rethinking the idea, she discarded the plan because those bottles were supposed to be reserved for emergencies. She remembered seeing a small stream a bit to the west when they were finding the location for the night and considered it a good alternative.

She placed the bottle back down but while deep in thought, she forgot to put the cap back on. The macaw was now contemplating whether not she should wake up anyone to accompany her to the stream in question, since they were in unknown territory in the dead of night. Going off alone is not the safest thing one can do here, but she decided against it, thinking how silly it would be to disturb someone just because she wanted some water.

Diana turned around and walked to the end of her branch, doing a quick scan of the area for anything unusual. After finding nothing out of the ordinary, she spread her wings and leaped off, gliding away to make as little noise as possible. Unfortunately for her, a pair of green eyes were patiently watching the canopy a few trees over from where they rested, following her form as she left the safety of her group. The mystery bird licked the outside of his beak before leaping off himself, gliding after his newest prey in total silence.

The Spix's macaw flew as close to the canopy as possible, only gaining altitude to check whether or not she was still flying towards the stream, ducking back down right after. The jungle was relatively quiet tonight, which somehow managed to alternate worry and calm every few seconds within her gut.

Thanks to almost no ambient noise, she could hear any potential predator or enemy if they chose to ambush her, but it also filled her with a bit of dread, thinking what might have caused this area to be so deserted. _I should have chosen something closer to a source of water._ She thought to herself, easing up a bit when she reached the clearing the stream of water carved out of the jungle floor.

Diana slowed down her speed, making sure to go as slow as possible while still maintaining her altitude. Her golden yellow eyes glanced back and forth, examining the open area in great detail. She was looking for animals first, then clues which might indicate if any were there in the past or potentially hiding. Finding nothing worthy of alarm, she approached the stream's bank swiftly. Her wings managed to thrust forward, powerful enough to get rid of any momentum she was carrying.

After landing softly on the dirt, her eyes glanced back at the flowing water once more, allowing her to inspect the bank with more detail. She was looking for any signs of predators hiding beneath the surface, caimans especially. Their favorite method of catching prey was to ambush unsuspecting animals attempting to drink, shooting out of the water in surprise.

Diana was relieved to find no such trace of the wretched monster, or any other threat for that matter. With her mind now at ease, she walked forward a few steps, lowering her head so the beak can meet the fast flowing clear and cold water. She drank as much as she could before her body couldn't take it anymore, forcing the parrot to raise her head back to normal height. She let out a loud gasp, allowing the air rich with oxygen to fill her lungs.

With her now satisfied thirst, she stepped back a bit and closed her eyes, enjoying the bit chilly air as it slowly blew past her body, cooling her down. The rushing of the water was the only thing she could hear, and it was doing a damn good job at relaxing her.

…

…

"I always thought your species was a myth." A deep masculine voice spoke up from behind her, freezing the blood in her veins as she realized it was coherent speech. She was confused, not understanding how someone could sneak up on her like that. She opened her eyes and turned around so fast the tiny droplets of water on her beak and upper neck flew off, drying the macaw instantly.

Her eyes widened in disbelief as she saw the origin of the unknown voice. A male macaw stood about a meter away from her, about the same size as her. _How did he __get so close__?!_ She questioned herself with a mix of annoyance and anger. She carefully sized up the stranger, trying to guess what his motives were.

The parrot's plumage was mostly green with red and blue on the tips of his wings and tail feathers while his head also had a bit of brownish color to it. She thought hard for a moment, trying to recall the features until a name popped up in her mind. "You're a severe macaw." She stated with a distrustful tone, recollecting herself enough to change her stance from frightened to defensive. Right now she had absolutely no idea what the man wanted and couldn't show fear.

The severe macaw chuckled at the statement, cutting a few vines which were wrapped around his body, something Diana just then realized as she was too occupied to notice it before. Her eyes widened even more in horror as the male removed a sharp ended wooden spear. "You are a very observant one, aren't you?" He pointed out the fact with an amused tone. "And you are a Spix's macaw I presume." He added shortly after, now wielding the weapon but not showing signs of attacking just yet.

"And what if I am? Who are you anyway?" She questioned him back, slowly scanning her surroundings to find anything she could use to her advantage. Fortunately it looked like her opponent was the talking type, so as long as she could keep him talking, the blue macaw had a better chance of finding a weapon. Which she was now regretting a lot for not bringing her own.

"Oh, right… Where are my manners? Danilo, at your service." He answered her question in a delighted mood, slowly moving the spear around his talons. Now at least she could refer to him by name, which meant she could start probing him more. She managed to find a broken stick to the side of her, next to the stream. Now she had an objective to work towards. Diana slowly started to move in the direction, but did so in a curved path, making it look like if she was trying to flank the severe macaw.

Thankfully he either didn't notice her plan or chose to ignore it, because he made no obvious move to attack. She spoke up once again, making sure to keep the conversation flowing as best she could. "Danilo huh? Interesting name. And just what is a macaw like you doing all the way out here, alone?" She was carefully reading his expressions but failed to find anything which could be of use.

"We are indigenous to this area. As for why I'm alone? Well, you see I was exiled from my tribe a long time ago." Danilo replied plainly, watching her facial expressions just like Diana was doing. He finally began to slowly turn, making sure to keep his gaze on the blue macaw as she was slowly circling him.

The female was not sure if she should be relieved or even more worried. Now she knew he was alone, so she didn't necessarily have to worry about a possible ambush. On the other hand, exile was done for terrible crimes when death was too severe of it was outlawed all together.

"Exiled? What could you have possibly done to deserve that?" Diana continued to move towards the stick as well as probing the enemy who appeared to be unaware of her motives. What made her truly worry was the almost sadistic smile which crept up on his face as he understood what she asked. She was starting to _really_ regret coming here alone.

"I'm _sooo_ glad you asked. It's been a while since somebody talked to me this much… You see, people kept telling me I was not right in the head." Danilo started to spin the spear around in erratic ways, silently demonstrating just how good he was with the weapon. "I was little, and our tribe was attacked. I lost both of my parents and my two little sisters right before my very own eyes."

"When I first tasted blood in that war, something woken up in me I thought didn't exist. A… voice if you may. It kept telling me to hurt, _c__raving_ violence and blood. The lack of conflict after the war only made it worse… The itching, the urge was stronger than ever."

"So my tribe, being the cowards they are, banished me. Jumped me one night and tossed me here to fend for myself. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Because now, I hunt unrestricted, free from the bounds of laws and rules." A chill ran down Diana's spine, eyes widening at the realization. Her body was screaming at her to move, but her mind just froze in the moment, unable to decide what to do.

"You, my dear Spix's macaw… **WILL DIE HERE ****TONIGHT, ****FOR I CRAVE YOUR BLOOD****!**" Danilo roared with maniacal laughter as he finally moved his body towards the blue macaw with full force, spear in talon, pointing right at her. Somehow Diana managed to get her feelings under control and instinctively jumped to the right just in the nick of time, dodging the fatal blow. Now that she didn't need to conceal her plans and movements, she got back on her feet and ran towards the stick as fast as possible, since she had a distance advantage.

The severe macaw recovered from the missed attack and charged her again, now yelling a full out battle cry as he closed the gap between them faster than what Diana thought was possible. She had no doubt, her opponent didn't lie when he said he was not right in the head, he was crazy. Just as he was about to strike the female down, Diana managed to grab the stick and turned around, blocking the spear with a loud snap as the two weapons clashed.

* * *

**Back at the ****resting place**

*Snap*

Blu opened his eyes upon hearing strange but muffled sounds. He raised his head and looked around, trying to find a source for the anomaly. He failed to find anything interesting but quickly realized Diana was nowhere to be found. Finding it strange and a bit alarming, he lifted his body up, walking around to investigate, trying to be as stealthy was possible to avoid waking up the others. Apparently he was not too successful in that endeavor, because Lucas stirred awake a minute later.

"Blu? Why the heck are you up so early?.. And where is Diana?" He asked groggily, brushing his eyes with his wings to wake up fully. He was considerate enough to not speak at full volume as he did so. Blu seemed to pay him no attention at first, causing Lucas to shoot a glare at him. He was quick to take that back when he realized Blu was looking around agitated, his eyes full of worry. Lucas opened his beak to ask a question but Blu beat him to it.

"I can't find her anywhere. She was gone when I woke up." As he told him everything he knew, Blu managed to spot a clue which might lead them to a trail. He stared at the supply area with curious eyes, and Lucas quickly caught on, glancing towards it himself.

"That bottle. It shouldn't be there." Blu stated the fact, slowly walking over to inspect it closer. The duo made their way around the still sleeping blue macaws. When they arrived at the supplies, Lucas picked up the water filled bottle, realizing the lid was removed intentionally.

"Do you think she was thirsty?" He asked Blu, holding the bottle towards him, who in the meantime picked up the lid. He was silent for a few seconds, formulating possibilities and scenarios. He shortly after came to the conclusion that she must have been, but for some reason decided to not drink from the bottle. That however only left one viable option.

"There is a stream not too far away from here. I think she wanted to drink but thought she shouldn't from the emergency supplies." Blu explained his theory as he gave the lid to his friend, turning around to face the jungle.

"So she went to the stream." Lucas finished his train of thought, closing up the bottle and placing it back with the rest of the supplies. After that, he walked next to Blu but stayed silent, seeing that his friend was deep in thought. Their silence was broken by a sudden but distant yell, a yell they instantly recognized.

"Diana!" The duo exclaimed in unison, running off towards a branch next to them. Lucas grabbed a standard wooden spear while Blu went for his prototype weapon by instinct. Using vines conveniently laying around the branch, they quickly tied the weapons securely on their backs and leaped off the branch, flying towards the source of the scream, not caring at all for all the ruckus they stirred up.

* * *

**A few seconds earlier, at the bank of the stream**

The spear whizzed as it tore through the air, only to be blocked by the stick Diana still managed to hold onto. She used all her might to push it away, jumping to Danilo's right, spinning her body to angle the stick the right way to hit her opponent. Unfortunately, he was quick enough to turn around and jump back, missing the sharp end of the broken stick by a few centimeters. Using the opening and his weapon's length to his advantage, he hit her on the head, dazing the macaw enough that she fell.

Diana yelled in pain, her scream echoing around the jungle. The severe macaw advanced, holding the sharp rock tipped side facing her. He leaped in the air, extending the spear as much as possible. What he didn't notice early on was that the blue macaw also raised her weapon, and while he would strike her down no problem, there was no way for him to stop in time to avoid impaling himself in the process. Danilo didn't want to risk it and pulled out in the last possible moment, giving Diana enough time to shake off the dizziness and stand up.

"I gotta give you credit, woman. You are better than most _non combatants_ I faced before." He taunted her, trying to aggravate the parrot. To his irritation, no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't get inside her head and force her to do mistakes. He was quick to calm down however, because at the end of the day taunting was only a tactic. He could very well see that his skills were beyond superior, and unlike him, her stamina was rapidly depleting.

Danilo decided he gave her enough time to rest and charged again, this time using the spear to simply hit the blue macaw non fatally. She managed to block the first two swings but couldn't raise her stick fast enough to block the third, landing a strike on her right wing. She grunted at the pain but didn't give up and instead she used the opportunity to jump back while the severe macaw swung his weapon around.

The male was getting bored with the fight and decided it was time to end it. He formulated a quick plan based on what he knew about her and how she fought. He began by spinning his spear in his talon a few times to intimidate his opponent. After that, he leaped forward and hit her stick first, trying to disarm her. The attempt failed but he quickly jumped back, avoiding a counter attack with ease.

Danilo then went in, striking her with a few bluff blows which she easily blocked. He then spun around, attempting to hit her legs. Diana noticed what he wanted to do and quickly moved her weapon in the way, blocking the blow. For a moment time froze between them and she was sure she was starting to get the upper hand. Her eyes carefully analyzed his face, but was dumbstruck when the severe macaw just smiled.

Before she could react, he punched her chest full force with his free wing, since she left that completely defenseless when she blocked his last attack. With that, she fell right in his trap. _Too easy._ The male told himself, observing his downed opponent. She yelled in pain as she was thrown backwards and landed on her back, knocking the wind out of her. Due to instincts taking over, she dropped the stick and before she could get her body back under control, the male macaw grabbed the weapon and threw it far away.

Once he was sure Diana was truly defenseless, he casually walked over to her still struggling body and placed a talon on her neck, pinning her down without any effort at all. She was still having trouble breathing and now couldn't even properly think. The already disturbing smile changed to a wicked one as he eyed her downed form with delight. "Shame. I was starting to enjoy this fight… Oh well." He grabbed the spear with his wings and raised it high in the air, readying himself to strike her down. The young woman could only watch in horror but alas, she accepted her fate. She closed her eyes tightly, preparing for the immense pain and the end of her life, but it never came.

"**GET AWAY FROM HER!**" A distorted voice of two combined rang through the jungle coming from her right. She opened her eyes just in time to see a big blue blob flying right towards her attacker. Danilo was caught completely off guard and never expected to be body slammed via high speed from not one but _two_ birds at the same time.

The three feathered bodies clashed and after a brief battle between forces, the severe macaw's body flew towards the opposite direction faster than he could counter it. After transferring all of their momentum to the green feathered bird, both Blu and Lucas dropped to the dirt about a meter from where Diana was pinned down only a few moments ago.

Blu was the first to move by rolling around, attempting to get back on his feet. "Ugh. Maybe that wasn't the best idea." He admitted as he started to feel his left side aching, but ignored the pain when he saw his friend who was still laying on the dirt with a shocked expression. _Shocked but still alive._ He thought with relief.

"Amen to that. Body slams hurt." Lucas added as he got up himself, and by then Diana managed to get her breathing under control enough to properly move. She attempted to stand up but failed to do so. The two men hurriedly walked over, now bombarding her with questions.

"Who was that creep?" Lucas asked with a very agitated voice, looking back towards the direction where the attacker should have landed.

"What did he want?" Blu followed up right after, although he had much more worry than anger in his voice.

"We need to get out of here! That guy is a madman. He's exiled, sick in the head and kills birds in cold blood!" She answered both questions with one sentence, now using Blu as a support to stand up. Even with the help, she was worried about how they will actually get away. She was in no condition to fly, and that body slam probably did a few numbers on both of her saviors.

"That creep wanted to KILL you?! Well, good thing we launched him into the afterlife then." Lucas exclaimed with shock in his voice, still finding it hard to accept that a random bird was about to kill his friend like that. He finally managed to dust himself off and walk near the others, when Blu jumped him out of the blue.

"GET DOWN!" This time Blu slammed against his own friend who was confused, but just as his body was thrown out of the way, a stick came flying through right where he was a moment ago. By the time he and Blu hit the ground, Lucas realized that shot would have impaled him on the spot. As soon as he could, he turned around and couldn't believe his eyes.

The severe macaw was standing near them with his weapon at hand, but his stance looked like he just thrown something. "Guess again, punk." He spoke up, his maniacal laughter now replaced with steaming fury and the glare held so much venom it could kill if manifested.

"Blu! You okay?!" Diana yelled as she ran next to them, the yell causing Lucas to turn around as well. His eyes widened in horror as a gash was visible on Blu's right side, slowly oozing blood on his feathers and the ground beneath him.

He could see that it was not life threateningly deep, but it was an injury nonetheless. _The stick_. He concluded Blu was not fast enough to fully dodge it himself. This infuriated the blue macaw even more, turning back to face the green feathered attacker and locking his gaze on him.

"You little punks think you can take down the mighty Danilo?! I have slain dozens of birds, my wickedness caused my tribe to exile me. You are nothing more than _worms_ on the ground next to me." He taunted while slowly walking closer, spinning the spear around his talons once more. Although his movements were a bit faltered, which made sense. A body slam does that to you. Unfortunately, while Diana would ignore these taunts, Lucas was another story all together.

"You are insane." The blue macaw replied as he slowly stood up straight, cutting the vines with the help of his talons, freeing his own spear in the process. He grabbed it and held it firmly in a protective stance. He could hear Blu grunting behind him and Diana attempting to treat him.

"You should have ran when you had the chance. But oh well, now I will enjoy **END****ING**** ALL OF YOU!**" Danilo yelled at the top of his lungs as he lunged forward. Lucas braced for the impact and moved out of the way just in time to evade the attack. He raised his own spear and attempted to stab his enemy, but the green macaw was quick to turn around and block the attempt.

The two charged and blocked each other's attacks several times. Neither of them showed any sign of backing down, but the battle was draining them fast. Lucas was younger and quicker, but his skills were a lot rougher than the polished ones of Danilo, even after Mark's mentoring.

The blue macaw quickly learned that the best strategy was to dodge and block as many attacks as he can, always staying on the defensive. While Diana didn't really hurt him, she managed to drain him a fair bit, and the body slam made sure to knock a lot of his health down. Enough that all three of them combined were probably on equal terms with the crazy parrot.

Meanwhile Blu got over the worst of the pain, unable to look away from the life or death struggle his friend was currently engaged in. He moved one of his talons closer to his body and snapped the vines, releasing his own weapon. Diana's eyes widened at the move, stopping his talon from reaching Blitzkrieg.

"Are you crazy?! You are wounded and you want to go against that guy?!" She scolded him as quietly as possible, doing her best to not draw the green macaw's attention on them. Although looking at the fight, maybe a distraction wouldn't be so bad for Lucas's chances of survival.

"Lucas won't last against that guy alone. My weapon is a lot stronger, I need to help him." Blu responded, forcefully removing her wing from his talon but being careful to not hurt her. Diana was not prepared for it but realized just because he was clumsy Blu, he was still a male with strength. There was not much to do now, seeing that he made a decision. She let go and stepped back, considering finding the stick which saved her life a few minutes ago. Blu ran off, his movements were erratic but as soon as the adrenaline started to flow through his system, the motions became clear and focused.

In Lucas's case, said adrenaline started to drop and with that, fatigue and mild pain followed. He began to slow down and Danilo even managed to score a few hits on him, making the situation worse. _The determination this guy ha__s_ _is__ unreal._ He thought to himself. While thinking that, he made a mistake which resulted in a full blown hit, causing him to lose balance. _Oh shit!_ He exclaimed within himself, not knowing what to do. He was surprised when he saw Blu charging right at them.

He did not approve, but looking at his current situation he welcomed the help. He made sure to not react to his approach, that way the green macaw will not know he was coming. Just like he predicted, Danilo was preparing to land another strike once again, and in the process he left his back completely exposed. Blu used the opening to his advantage. He raised the metal rod as high as possible and hit down hard, landing a perfect hit on the severe macaw who screamed out in pain, falling back himself.

"Nice hit Blu!" Lucas exclaimed happily, raising his wings in a cheerful manner before a jolt of pain hit his body, reminding him he just got beat down hard. Blu stopped next to him, but instead of staying there, he charged forward aggressively, something which surprised everyone. Both Lucas and Diana expected him to take up a defensive position like they did, but he did the complete opposite and they began to worry.

As he charged forward, Danilo recovered from the blow and raised his spear up in the last possible second, meeting the metal rod head on. The snap was loud, and the green macaw's eyes widened at what he saw. The spear formed a very small but noticeable crack. _Impossible! Could this bird hold so much power?!… NO!_ He pushed these thoughts and kicked Blu away, giving himself space to recover. He couldn't let his adrenaline drop, because then he would die. It was something he loathed, to die to these inexperienced birds. The crack worried him, and he didn't know the damage was done thanks to the sturdy metal rather than Blu's strength.

The severe macaw quickly got back on his feet and returned the attack tenfold. He began to swing the spear left and right relentlessly, throwing in the occasional stab attempt. Blu managed to block or jump away from most of the attacks but the wound on his side really made battling hard for him, the fact that he wasn't really the best fighter didn't help his situation either.

He relied on the notion that his weapon was a lot sturdier than Danilo's, and after realizing he made a crack, he tried to apply as much pressure on the weapon as possible, hoping it might break. As the assault continued, the crack started to spread, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get it to break. While he was distracted by that, the green macaw surprised him with a wing punch, landing it right in his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

"HA! YOU ALL FALL FOR THAT!" He screamed in a twisted combination of joy and hatred as he attempted to attack Blu once again, but he was stopped by another annoyance. _WHAT NOW?!_ He thought for a moment when he felt his weapon being blocked. He removed his gaze from the struggling Blu only to meet Diana's furious eyes. The woman found the stick she used to defend herself and was now using it again.

"Feisty one aren't you? I'll make sure this is the last thing you do!" He roared as he broke away from her, raising the spear to attack the female with his full attention. She copied Lucas's strategy, slowly luring the enraged macaw away from Blu, who was starting to regain his composure. The continuous coughing aggravated his wound, but he couldn't worry about that now, seeing his friend taking the full pounding once again. That's when something popped into his mind which he seemed to completely forget. _That's it!_ He exclaimed with excitement, grabbing the metal rod next to him.

Blu slowly but surely got back to his feet, ignoring the throbbing pain coming from his side. He held the weapon in a horizontal position, preparing a charge. Lucas was still laying down but kept observing the battle and realized what he wanted to do. Diana caught a glimpse too and rethought her strategy, concluding her job was then to distract the berserk macaw. Blu started slowly walking, then jogging, and by the end running towards the duo, keeping the weapon extended in front oh him.

Diana meanwhile dodged multiple attacks, always making sure to keep Blu in her peripheral vision. When she saw he was close enough, she suddenly changed her tactic and caught one of his attacks, locking the weapons together. This surprised Danilo, struggling and ultimately failing to free himself or his weapon. His strength was finally starting to run out, not that it mattered too much by this point. "What kind of trick is this?!" He angrily questioned, not getting why she would deadlock both of them like that.

Meanwhile, Blu gathered enough momentum and leaped in the air as high as he could. _This is it._ He thought, flipping the switch on Blitzkrieg for the first time since the tests. As expected, the arc of electricity formed a moment later, giving of a medium strong blue glow. He rotated the rod to face vertically, grabbing a firm hold on it with his talons as he flew towards the lunatic.

This time, it was Diana who smirked, which only enraged Danilo further. "**WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!**" He yelled at her, but she didn't need to respond. By then, Blu was close enough that the arc's light illuminated both of them, and the severe macaw saw their shadows form. _Impossible! It is night time!_ He screamed inside his mind, before it occurred to him that the angles meant it came from behind him, and apparently the female macaw was also looking that way. He could see lightning reflecting from her pupils.

Danilo turned around and froze at the sight. Blu was coming right at him, but he wielded the lightning! He was so focused on the arc that he didn't even feel when Diana jumped back to avoid electrocuting herself. Time seemed to slow down as he watched the iron rod come closer and closer. He prepared for the pain of a rod hitting him, but it made contact and he felt no such sensation.

The pain was alien and a lot worse. Blu slammed down as hard as he could. As soon as the arc came in contact with the severe macaw's body, the electricity began to wreck havoc on his nervous system. At first it completely paralyzed him, before the resistance was too big and he actually started to burn. He howled from the pain, unable to move, think or do anything else. His body started to randomly jerk, and after a few seconds of this unbearable state, he suddenly gone quiet, his organs shutting down one by one.

Blu understood and finally moved the weapon away, allowing the arc to form once again. As soon as there was no connection, the green macaw's body went disturbingly limp and fell to the ground in defeat. Blu flipped the switch and the arc of electricity was gone, the jungle suddenly becoming as still and quiet as before. The only sound was the stream and the three blue macaw's heavy panting and grunting.

Lucas finally got enough strength to stand up and walked over to the scene. He made sure to forcefully kick away the damaged spear just in case, lowering himself to the limp body with tension in his own. He placed a talon on Danilo's neck, removing them a few seconds later and taking a few steps back. "He's dead." He stated the fact, and as if a huge boulder was removed from their shoulders, the three macaws fell on ground in relief. Finally the fight was over.

…

…

"Just what in the actual fuck is going on here?" Of course the peace couldn't last forever. The rough voice of an angry Mark boomed around the area, accompanied by wing flaps and talons scraping the dirt behind the exhausted trio. It didn't take a genius to figure out the rest of their team caught them, but neither macaw had the strength to move a muscle in protest.

"What happened to you three?!" Sara shrieked the moment she saw their bodies littered with bruises and cuts. Rodrigo instantly ran up to them, inspecting the seriousness of the injuries one by one.

"Who is that?" Rodrigo followed up when he saw the corpse in front of Lucas and Blu. The three looked at each other, silently debating what to tell the older adults.

* * *

**Morning**

The endless sea of stars were finally drowned out by the first rays of the Sun as it crept up on the horizon. The jungle sprung to life once more, continuing as usual, not even acknowledging the horrors which transpired during the night. The six Spix's macaws woke up from their restless sleep, some easier than others. Rodrigo personally inspected all three injured team members and concluded that they couldn't leave right away, the injuries required at least another few days worth of rest.

Needless to say, neither young macaw was happy but it was not like they could do something about it. Out of the three, it was Lucas who coped the best. He suffered light injuries with the most prominent being bruises. The problem with him was that his right wing got a big hit, making flying uncomfortable at best and not possible at worst once the adrenaline left his system. Thankfully he should be up and running by the next day if he doesn't strain anything.

Blu on the other hand, was a different story. At first he was too shell shocked to even comprehend the full extent of his actions. The gash left by Danilo's throw practically grounded him, needing the full support of another parrot to do anything which would be outside a tree's reach. Rodrigo cleaned the wound and bandaged him up, but it would take several days until the gash was healed enough to resist the stresses of flight.

All of this not counting the other bruises and cuts sustained after the fight. All in all, Blu felt like shit. But not because of the physical beating he endured, oh no. Ironically, he would possibly even kill to feel bad about his injuries. What tormented the macaw was actually guilt. Blu started showing heavy guilt and trauma from actually _murdering_ someone. Neither Mark or Rodrigo were surprised, in fact, they were expecting it.

Anybody can act tough, but when push came to shove, first blood affected everybody, no exceptions. Most were negative, while rarely the sensations and feelings were morbidly positive. It was these individuals one needed to look out for. Luckily, Blu displayed the most common type of response out of all the possible outcomes. Depression, lack of appetite and an unhealthy dose of vomiting.

Lucas and Diana felt deep sympathy for their friend, but before either of them could act anything, they were brought to the side by Mark and were told explicitly to not bring up the topic. They were all prepared for the very real possibility of killing or being killed, but this was something everyone had to go through themselves. The only things they could do is offer their support if Blu wanted to accept, and that made their hearts ache.

As if not having enough problems already, this realization drove Diana over the edge. She broke down after learning what Blu was going through, and Lucas was having a hard time trying to rank which one of his friends was actually more devastated, if that could even be summed up. Rodrigo being a seasoned veteran himself knew exactly how to help out with first blood reactions, so Blu was left in his care for the most part.

This left Diana to Lucas, who was more than happy to talk with her. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the light blue macaw blamed herself for both of their physical and on top of that, Blu's mental injuries during the night. This was something he could, no, needed to address before it spiraled out of control. Having one emotionally wrecked macaw was bad enough.

The bodyguard in training flinched at the dull pain of flying, but he had to find the woman as fast as possible, and the best way was circling around the tree. He quickly found Diana on one of the higher branches, gazing at the horizon and rising sun. The male silently glided towards her, extending his talons to get a firm hold on the tree before he folded up his wings, keeping a respectable distance at first.

He looked towards the parrot's face, seeing the slight glow of wet feathers below her visible eye, clear indication of tearing up or even crying. She didn't react to his arrival, still adamant on watching as the star warmed the planet and soaked it in light. Lucas gracefully walked next to her, glancing towards the horizon himself, the two enjoying the peace of the morning.

Remembering why he was there, he decided it was a good opportunity to break the silence. "You know I hate seeing you cry right? What happened there was not your fault." His deep voice rumbled as a half whisper, loud enough that she could hear it but not high enough to be uncomfortable at this hour. Diana raised a wing and wiped away the remaining tears from her face before locking eyes with the man next to her.

"Not my fault? Did you see Blu back there? God, it is like his soul was broken… He never hurt a damn fly, Lucas. And because I was an idiot, he… He had to kill a bird." Her voice trembled more with every single word spoken, fighting back the tears which were threatening to come back. She felt horrible for two reasons. One for placing Blu in that position, and the guilt of actually feeling horrible when her problems were nowhere near as serious as his.

He wrapped a wing around her gently, pulling her closer in a friendly reassuring hug. "Nah. Mark told us things might get ugly. We all knew this can happen… But you are wrong in blaming yourself. If anyone is at fault here, it was that crazy macaw." He comforted his friend as best he could, no sarcasm or lies in his voice or words. He felt a boulder drop from his shoulders when he felt her heart beat and breathing slowly calm down and return to normal.

He smiled at the reaction, seeing that his point actually came across just as he intended. "Besides. He's getting help from two war veterans. He'll be fine before you know it." They stayed silent after that for minutes to come, but he swore he could see the smallest upwards curving of her beak, the clearest sign of a smile on her face.

On the opposite side of the tree, the situation was not as happy. Blu was sitting near the base of the branch, his back propped against the tree's massive bark, glancing towards the jungle with an empty and unfocused gaze. He periodically looked down at Blitzkrieg, which was laying on the branch a bit in front of him. He averted his gaze as soon as it landed on the shining metal rod, the horrifying memories flooding back to him like a tidal wave every time.

The agonizing scream, the involuntary and painful jerks of their bodies as the arc relentlessly assaulted their nerves and muscles. The faint but lingering stench of burning flesh filled his nostrils, invoking nausea and urges to gag, but he already emptied his stomach several times now without eating anything, leaving him with the irritating need to vomit without the ability to do so.

But that was not the worst part, far from it. The final nail in the coffin was when he remembered their eyes. People say the eyes are an open window to the soul, and Blu was sure of it now. He could recall the absolute pain, panic and confusion whenever they didn't close their eyes in agony, and the horrible process of life literally leaving their bodies. The eerie jiggles and hazed eyes left behind, unfocused on the world around them, never to take in the wonders life had to offer again.

The incident eight years ago didn't phase him because he was just a child, not having the faintest of clue how the world worked. But the psychopath's death made him vividly remember the candide macaw's death in detail next to Diana's attacker's, crumbling his mental health. He was so caught up in his flashbacks, he failed to notice Rodrigo arriving next to him. "Blu?" He called out, but as expected got no response. "Blu." He raised his voice a bit, but no reaction met his efforts.

He closed his eyes and sighed, thinking about how to get his attention without startling the boy. He decided with a gentle shoulder shaking, making sure to stay alert and ready to jump away in case of a shocked attack, which while not common did happen from time to time. "Blu Gunderson." He gently shook the male on his left shoulder, finally shaking him out of whatever flashback he was suffering from.

Blu's neck stiffened and his head snapped to attention right away, but thankfully he didn't lash out. Instead, he was confused for a moment before his brown eyes settled on the older macaw, calming down a bit. He let go a breath he didn't even know he held, allowing fresh oxygen to enter his body when inhaling.

"Flashbacks?" Rodrigo questioned as politely as possible, raising an eye in the process. Blu thought about lying for a moment, but figured the medic was not easily fooled and there was no reason to hold back anything at this point.

"Yes." He stated simply, not even bothering to maintain eye contact with the parrot. Instead, he continued to stare ahead of him, not focusing on anything in particular. What Blu did make sure of, was to not glance at his weapon, fearing the torment which awaits him if he does.

"Thought so. Pretty standard reaction to first blood." He stated, watching the blue macaw's face closely for any emotions or reactions. To his dismay, Blu displayed only gloom, although from the flicker of his eyes he knew the macaw understood what he said. The medic opened up his fanny pack and after a few seconds of fumbling around, held up a few roots which were cleaned of dirt or any other residue. "Here. Take these. They taste like shit, but it is a natural sedative."

Blu finally moved his eyes and inspected the strange looking roots, contemplating if he should eat it or not. It didn't look like something you would consume willingly, but Rodrigo being a medic, he probably known better. With the possibly most lazy and piss poor coordination in history, Blu raised his left talon and accepted the medicine, holding it up to his beak.

After taking a quick sniff, Blu decided to just get over it as fast as possible. He bit down on the vegetation, chewing it a bit before swallowing. Rodrigo was right, it tasted nasty. But not bad enough to invoke a vomit response, so to minimize his suffering, he bit down over and over until his talon was empty. While he consumed the wretched medicine, the medic took the opportunity to sit down next to him, allowing the macaw to observe the young adult in a more discreet manner.

For minutes, nothing was spoken between the two parrots, the gentle morning breeze ruffling the tree canopy above and below them. Rodrigo couldn't help but develop a subtle, almost unrecognizable smirk when he saw Blu begin to physically relax as the roots started to take effect. Minutes went by again in silence before the veteran decided it was time to add in the verbal medicine into the mix.

"You are not the only one going through this, you know. During the war, I had to treat a lot of macaws for these kind of reactions, fair to say I've seen em all." The medic spoke up, breaking the silence, eyes glued to the troubled macaw as he talked. He wanted to make sure Blu didn't feel either embarrassed or ashamed about his situation, because that would be unnecessary extra anxiety to deal with. "Right now the healthiest thing to do is speak your mind. So on that note, what _is_ on your mind?" He continued, trying to get the young macaw to begin his own healing. Many people underestimated the power of someone just simply listening to your problems.

"I'm horrible… I killed a person." His voice trembled a bit as he spoke, causing Rodrigo's eyes to widen a bit before controlling his facial expressions. Even with a strong sedative in place he was still negative to some extent.

"I had my fair share of meeting horrible people. You are not one of them." The veteran shook his head at Blu's statement, trying to convey his logic to the patient next to him. "That psycho was a murderer. Yet, you now almost weep at his demise. Most people wouldn't even bat an eye, yet you care. If that isn't a sign of a kind person then I don't know what is." The best part was that he didn't even lie about that. It amazed him how caring the leader's son was, but that kind of kindness can really bite someone in the behind in the world of politics. Maybe it was a good thing that the tribe leader was working on a new governing system.

"But I killed him. There were other ways to…" Blu started to ramble, trying to come up with rational ways to subdue the sick bird, but his thoughts were stopped in their tracks when the medic interrupted him with a bit of a forceful tone.

"No. That sick and twisted excuse of a bird wanted to murder Diana in cold blood. If you didn't end him now, he would have just continued spilling blood. You probably saved dozens of future lives next to Diana's."

"But that is exactly the problem! He was mentally ill! He was _sick_! We learned from the human archives it is not their fault. We should have detained him and help cure that mental illness…" He paused for a moment, looking down on the metal weapon for the first time without a serious flashback. "Instead, I killed him in cold blood." Blu closed his eyes with a deep sigh, letting the pent up frustration and anxiety out with his breath as the medicine continued it's course through his body.

"One of the most important rules you learn in war, and definitely the most painful is this: No matter how hard you try, you _can't_ save everyone." Rodrigo chimed in, taking up a more somber expression himself as he recalled the horrible memories and lessons learned with war. The statement started to echo in Blu's mind for reasons the young macaw couldn't understand yet.

* * *

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-…

* * *

**W****ell, this came out faster than the last one, didn't it? I'm a bit proud of myself for that one. Considering Blu's tribe needs electricity to secure their borders, I thought the name Lucifer, the light bringer suited their team nicely.**


	7. Lost and found

**Chapter ****7**

Lost and found

**Disclaimer**

_I do not own Rio._

* * *

**N****orth**** of T****eam Lucifer**

Anyone going through the barren lands would have been taken back by the sight of an entire macaw flock resting on dozens of trees as the sun crept up on the horizon and lit up the jungle in the morning. The parrots began to slowly regain consciousness, preparing themselves for another exhausting day of running away from their overrun homeland.

Watch guards who were on night duty were relieved by fresh macaws, allowing the tired birds to relax. Unfortunately, they won't be able to sleep until the next night, but this taxing rotation was the only way they were able to secure the tribe. Others were handing out food for the day, supplementing the small amount the tribe could harvest from the surrounding area. Sadly for the Spix's macaws, the barren lands proved their worthiness to the name when it came to food.

Eduardo was up and about, ordering his subordinates around the clock. The stress was already starting to creep up on the elder, and if the rumors were true, they were nowhere near out of this wretched land. It didn't help that even if they make it out alive, they would still have to settle down somewhere, which might belong to another tribe, causing tensions at best and an all out attack at worst.

"Tell the food scouts to fly around one more time. Move everything that isn't rotten and is edible, I don't care if it is just one bite's worth." Eduardo commanded a young male, who threw a quick salute and left the tree within seconds. The advisors were in charge of organizing the matters too small or inconsequential to the tribe's existence such as petty conflicts or requests. The tribe leader closed his eyes and pondered over the tasks for today.

Making sure everyone is fed, gathering every useful resource and finally plotting a course for the tribe to take. So far they were going north-west, because the rumors said that was the closest area with sustainable terrain. Yes, Eduardo was desperate enough that the only guide he had were rumors. He sighed in frustration, wanting to punch something to vent some of the tension in his body.

"Dad?" A feminine voice caught his attention, washing away most of his anger for the moment. The only macaw who could calm him down was his wife, but his daughter came very close in second place. There was just no way for him to stay mad when Jewel was around. He opened his eyes and greeted the young adult with a slight smile on his face.

"Good morning Jewel. Anything wrong dear?" Jewel shook her head, but concern was visible on her face when she saw her father. Capable of reading him like an open book, there was not much he could hide from his daughter; And she knew he was stressing a lot.

"No. But I should be asking you the same thing." This caused the elderly macaw to chuckle, deflecting with humor as best he could. Jewel didn't want to probe more, having a pretty good idea what sort of problems her father had to face. A part of her felt horrible for what she was about to bring up, but her conscience wouldn't let her rest, and after a lengthy talk with Mimi, her aunt managed to reassure her it was the best choice. "Melissa and I finished the plan."

Eduardo's expression turned somber quickly, even though he expected the statement. Ever since they left their home, Jewel was nagging him about it, and the fact that he almost lost her to humans on the last patrol didn't help with the matter. However, unless he wanted to act childish, there was no reason to not allow her to go.

Since he was responsible for every single blue macaw, the fact that at least a dozen were captured by poachers during the evacuation was a heavy burden on him. From a numbers game perspective, the loss was almost nothing when your tribe has hundreds of individuals. But leaving them behind to their fate was just wrong, not to mention it would cause tension within the tribe. Why should they follow a leader who would gladly leave them behind?

The other important factor was that the only birds who actually had a chance of freeing the prisoners were Jewel and Melisa, since they were the ones who were captured and managed to escape. "I see. When do you two plan on leaving?"

"As soon as we can." Jewel quickly answered the question. As if one cue, Melisa arrived on the branch next to them. She threw a quick salute in respect, which the leader reciprocated. The woman looked between the two parrots and understood what their conversation was and how it was going.

"Every day we spend flying, their trail gets colder, sir. In a few days, it might be gone for good." Melisa reasoned, leaving next to nothing the tribe leader could refute. He just nodded in response, agreeing with her assessment. Still, he was skeptical about their ability to actually free the trapped macaws. After the whole evacuation, both parrots gave him a detailed explanation separately. From what he could understand, the only reason they succeeded was because the humans were asleep. Yes, Jewel did open the harpy eagle's cage, but that was a big gamble that just paid off in the end.

But like all gambles, sooner or later you lose, and when your life is on the line, you lose everything. There were hundreds of things that could go wrong. Humans could stand guard and capture them, or maybe even conspirator birds. After all, it was not uncommon to see other animals help poachers. _Pets_. That's what they were, and in the jungle, the label pet was just as negative as traitor or murderer. "**IF** you two can free them… How are you going to find your way back?" He questioned the duo, making sure to empathize the conditional.

The two women decided to ignore it, expecting something like that. "I'm pretty good at tracking. Our flock leaves behind a pretty noticeable trail after all." Jewel elaborated, taking a tiny bit of pride in her skill. "And if worst comes to pass, we can just ask around for directions." She added shortly after, making her argument as foolproof as she could.

"Fair enough. Team composition then. Who is going to accompany you two on the rescue mission?" Eduardo continued his probing, and it turns out he found the weak point he was searching for. The two macaws tensed up a bit, not expecting that question in particular. Their body language told the whole world clear, they weren't comfortable explaining that part.

"Well… We thought about it for a long time, considering what the tribe's situation is and all. In the end we decided that the best course of action would be if we go alone." Melisa explained with a bit of a forced awkward smile, hoping the reaction wouldn't be as bad as she expected. Unfortunately, it was exactly as bad.

"Alone?! That is too dangerous!" Eduardo almost erupted with a mix of worry and anger. "Even if you two know how to free them, what if enemies jump on you? Or if the humans set up traps. Or-" He continued to list reasons why bringing backup to something like this was necessary, but he was cut off by his own daughter.

"Humans think we are stupid!" That sentence seemed to have done the trick, causing the elderly bird to shut up for a moment as he processed the information. "They won't lay traps for birds, thinking they would actually rescue their kind." She turned around and glanced at the horizon. The parrot wasn't curious about her father's thoughts in that moment. It was the truth and it hurt a lot. All this time they thought humans were doing it for their own survival, and then it turned out all that suffering was for nothing. It was for some worthless concept the two legged mammals created for themselves. If that wasn't the embodiment of evil itself, then nothing was in Jewel's mind.

"They think we are mindless creatures. Who don't feel anything at all." Melisa added shortly after, but soon recognized it didn't really help the conversation, even if it was the truth.

"You are basing all of this on something a harpy eagle told you!" The tribe leader finally retorted.

"Not this again… He had no reason to lie! He was stuck, just like us." The leader's daughter retorted in annoyance, sick of hearing that excuse. "Every time I think back to that day, I cringe at the thought of what I did. When I extended my neck like that… But what he said makes sense, and it fits humans completely."

"At least take Roberto or Esteban with you!" Eduardo stubbornly pleaded, but even he could see he lost the battle in the end. There was nothing he could say that would change either of their minds on the matter.

"They are both needed in coordinating the flock, you know this. Even with all those advisors of yours, without those two you would probably drop dead from fatigue." Jewel stated, her voice carrying faint traces of scolding. She did not approve how her father kept pushing himself the past few days. "You said it yourself. The survival of the flock goes above all else, individuals included…" And now came her secret weapon, one she was reluctant to use. She used his own words against him. It seemed to have done the trick.

"But we can't just let our fellow flock mates stay behind if we can help it. And that is exactly what Jewel and I can do." Melisa chimed in, attempting to reason with her leader. "That means as few birds as possible." Silence followed after, a long and uncomfortable silence. Eduardo was deep in thought, currently fighting with his inner demons. His rational mind fought valiantly against his heart, which was screaming at him to forbid his only daughter to fly out once more.

She left his protection before, and it almost certainly costed her life. Then, it was Jewel being in the wrong place in the wrong time. Now, she was adamant on flying head first into that same trouble willingly… But he had to accept she and Melisa were the only ones who had any chance of freeing their brethren. In the end, logic won the fight and he finally gave in. "Very well, can't argue with that… Take whatever you need, get ready, then report back to me." Eduardo replied in a tone which conveyed total defeat.

"Will do, sir." Melisa replied, following up with a slight bow in respect. She turned around and spread her wings apart, leaping off the branch to get ready for her mission. Jewel looked back for a moment, but her father did everything he could to not look at her in the moment. Understanding he needed time, the young macaw silently left the tree to follow her friend, leaving the elderly leader alone.

"I'm getting too old for this shit. Once we reach safety, I'm going to have to prepare a successor." Eduardo grumbled under his breath, finally admitting to himself it might be time for him to retire soon. But not yet, his people still need him for the time being.

* * *

**One hour later**

The two young women arrived at one of the tallest trees in the vicinity. It was located near the edge of the Spix's macaw blob, serving as a scouting point. Eduardo and his advisors just finished their daily session, successfully deciding the route for today. As expected, they would continue flying towards the north-west, since they didn't encounter anything which would suggest a better direction. So far the only contact they had were strays or a few groups of less than two dozen birds. Obviously, neither even thought of attempting an assault on an entire tribe.

The two macaws landed on one of the higher branches, right next to the tribe leader and his company, which consisted of Roberto and Esteban. Although, considering how much they assisted the elder macaw during this evacuation, it shouldn't be that surprising. Melisa was actually relieved by this, because this meant she didn't have to round up the two boys individually to say goodbye.

Their arrival was quickly noted by the perching parrots. Esteban was the first to speak up, realizing they were there to say goodbye and head off. "Just so you two know, we are pretty bummed that we can't come and help, but oh well. Guess that is life… We're going to miss you gals." He greeted them with a somber smile on his face. He really wanted to go and help them, but he knew he was needed in the tribe right now.

"Same here. It is going to be boring without you two." Melisa replied with a smile, and she meant what she said. Esteban knew exactly how to raise their spirits when something gloomy happened. Sure, Roberto was the 'macho, tough guy' who was always confident, but even he needed some mental support from now and then.

"Good luck Ju-ju! You and Mel stay safe out there!" Roberto said goodbye to them both after giving the women a surprise hug. Just like the tribe leader and his friend, he too wasn't that pleased by the situation, but he agreed if there was anyone who could pull it off, it was those two.

"Thanks, Beto." Jewel replied once they separated, a small smile on her face. Her father patiently waited for the young adults to properly finish their farewells before he joined the conversation. Roberto and Esteban unconsciously made way for their leader to walk through.

"You two are ready I presume?" Eduardo got right to the point, trying to make it as painless as possible. For an outsider this might have looked like a cold gesture, but both knew the blue macaw enough that this was his best way to cope with the situation.

"Yes dad, we are…" Jewel confirmed, doing her best to assure her father. She knew such a thing was not possible, a father will always worry for his daughter, but it was good enough. "We'll get them back, I promise." She added shortly after, earning an approving nod from the tribe leader. Without warning, he stepped forward and wrapped his wings around the surprised macaw. Jewel recognized the gesture and returned the hug.

Even though they were better prepared, both of them knew there was a real possibility neither would actually return, and thus, she didn't dare not take the opportunity to show her father how much she loved him. There was no need for words, actions spoke louder anyway.

"Just be careful, please." He whispered, and Jewel was sure she could actually hear his voice crack for a moment. The two family members soon parted, and stepped back a few steps. The men realized what they wanted to do and made some space so that they could fly away unhindered.

"We will." Jewel responded, fighting back a few tears which were threatening to break free. This was not the time to break down, the mission didn't even start yet. She collected herself by breathing in an out, calming her nerves as best she could. The two women's demeanor changed in a moment's notice. They were no longer two macaws enjoying the life and protection of a tribe. They were macaws on a mission to venture possibly further than anyone from their tribe.

They were on a mission to save their brethren, or die trying. Without any further words, Jewel and Melisa unfolded their wings, and with one fell swoop the blue macaws were already in the air, racing away from the tribe they knew their whole life. First stop, back to the grove and figure out where did the humans go.

* * *

**Three days later, South of Eduardo's tribe**

The next few days went by agonizingly slow for the Spix's macaw team, but the reason was different for every bird. Mark, Rodrigo and Sara were busy discussing what needed to be changed in their original plan to still make it back on time. As if that wasn't a big enough issue, storm clouds were gathering in the sky, forecasting a big and relentless storm.

Lucas was starting to get restless with the lack of flight, but he counted himself lucky regarding his injuries. If everything went okay, their medic would allow him to fly upon his next checkup, which was scheduled to be in a few minutes. But no matter how much he tried, it left a bitter taste in his mouth, because his friends were not in the best of shape mentally speaking.

His impromptu speech helped Diana cope, but it didn't stop her from blaming herself entirely. Then again, as bad as it sounded, she was ultimately right. The bad decisions she made that night did in fact cost them dearly, but Mark was less hash than they expected. This was because one good thing did come out of this whole fiasco; It was a very important and hard lesson.

Danilo embodied the dangers of the barren lands, and showed them just how savage the jungle can be. It also made them respect and value the team on a whole different level. Back in the tribe, they were used to being surrounded in a functional and safe community, which meant one could live happily alone if they chose to. Here, without a group one was pretty much a goner.

Although Mark made sure to be outside Blu's earshot, he admitted that as much as this tormented the blue macaw now, the experience would most likely shape Blu to become a much stronger macaw in the future. During the nights, he told the younger macaws stories about the Spix – Caninde war, and if any war mongering feelings resided within Blu's friends, they were quickly eradicated. The thought that war was like their battle with Danilo just on a much larger scale managed to solidify their stance on war for good.

On the upside, Blu _did_ start to recover somewhat. His mood was less depressed and a tiny bit of life returned to his chocolate brown eyes. His face however refused to show any emotion. It was a blank, neutral expression and his voice sounded like he was tired all the time. The rest of his team made sure to not bring up the topic as much as possible, which seemed to help him return back to being a functional member of the team.

"Blu! Lucas! Get your butts down here, checkup time!" Rodrigo called out from the lower branches, his deep voice easily traveling through the canopy. Lucas heard it loud and clear, excited to finally have his bandages removed. He was about to glide down when he stopped himself, quickly turning his head to the direction Blu was last known to be.

Before yesterday, he needed to be carried everywhere because of the deep gash, but it healed enough for him to glide to most places by now. Lucas waited for a few seconds but didn't see him emerging. He decided it was best if he checked up on his friend. Even if he was in a bad mood, the gash had to be looked after, so he was ready to drag the macaw down if necessary. Lucas leaped in the air and flapped his wings a few times to gain altitude, allowing him to glide to the branch which would lead to Blu in theory.

Just as he got a solid grip on the branch, the leader's son emerged from the shadows. The two made eye contact, but neither felt the need to really converse. The silent message Lucas sent was received by Blu without any problems. The blue macaw's side was wrapped in a piece of white cloth, stained a bit by both blood and general dirt from the environment. Luckily it didn't limit Blu's mobility as much as one would have thought.

Taking the initiative, he leaped off the branch and began his slow descent to the lower canopies. Lucas was right behind him, slowly circling the tall tree as he did so. While in the air, their brains turned to autopilot giving their minds free time. The blue eyed macaw decided to speak up. "So, how you feeling?" It was a simple question, which gives Blu the option to either elaborate or shut down the conversation without sounding rude.

"Good, I guess. Still hurts to fly, but at least it didn't get infected…" He answered the question in that unnerving neutral tone, and just when Lucas thought this was the end of their small talk, he continued. "Overall, I feel a lot better than before… I think. Not sure how to explain it honestly." The honesty caught the blue macaw a bit off guard, but he won't complain about it. A small smile crept up on his beak.

"Great to hear it man! If you continue this rate of recovery, you'll be even better physically than me." Lucas joked around, hoping it might spark some sort of emotion. Unfortunately for him, Blu just nodded at the statement, but considering how he was before, it was definitely progress, so Lucas took what he could get.

By this time, the duo finally arrived at the branch Rodrigo was currently perched on. Carefully aligning their bodies, the two macaws both caught the branch with their talons, preventing themselves from falling down. The team's medic already laid out most of the supplies he would use, so they made sure to land somewhere that won't allow them to accidentally push things off the edge.

The checkup went the same way it did the days prior. Rodrigo cut the old bandages with his claws, throwing it away to the side to be later disposed. He went ahead and inspected each bruise and cut separately, using his years of knowledge to decide whether it needs additional treatment or not. Just as Lucas thought, his injuries were basically gone. After what felt like forever, the blue macaw permitted the young bodyguard flight.

Turning his attention to the other parrot, the situation was not as splendid. Thanks to the frequent disinfecting and bandage changing, the deep gash on Blu's side healed surprisingly fast. It still needed a few more days worth of healing until it could indefinitely resist the stresses of flight, but all in all his recovery was going nicely. To be on the safe side, Rodrigo decided to cover up the wound. "Looks like I managed to patch you two up nicely. Hopefully we can get out of here in a day or two." The veteran reassured them, seeing the eagerness or anticipation on both macaws. Nobody wanted to stay here longer than necessary.

Once the medic finished tying the final knot on Blu's brand new bandage, Mark, Sara and Diana arrived at the scene. The new appearances did not seem to surprise Rodrigo, who just acknowledged their presence and turned back to his supplies, packing them up. "Now that the checkups are done, I'd like to discuss a few things." The scarred macaw grabbed everyone's attention. Five pair of eyes watched him, waiting for him to continue.

"These past few days were… eventful to say the least. We altered the flight plan a bit to make up for the lost time. That means we-" The gray eyed parrot didn't get the chance to finish whatever he wanted to say. The peace and quiet was disturbed by the sound of multiple twigs snapping and branches moving. The blue macaws instinctively tensed up and moved towards their weapons, preparing for combat.

"HALT!" A deep rugged voice boomed over them, causing them to freeze like a statue. A second later, about twenty macaws dropped down from the canopy above, surrounding them and blocking all available exits. The intruders were all equipped with spears and made sure to point them at the team, but didn't advance further.

Their plumage quickly gave away their species and caused Diana's eyes to widen. "Severe macaws." She spoke under her breath, loud enough that her team could hear her, but due to their proximity, the other party probably understood too.

Mark cursed in his mind, angry that they were caught off guard so easily by so many parrots. Realizing they were hopelessly outmatched, even if they dashed for their weapons they would just end up getting impaled on a stick. He slowly but steadily motioned with his wing, telling the rest of his team to just wait. The ambushers could have killed them easily if they wanted to, but decided against it. That meant they wanted something.

"Intruders! You are within our territory, explain yourselves!" An older male spoke up, probably the leader of the group. His gaze was stern and unyielding, but it didn't harbor anger, just suspicion. The 'within our territory' statement caused Mark to raise an eye, but he wasn't stupid enough to question it regarding their circumstances… yet.

"My name is Mark, and this is my team." The scarred macaw asserted, motioning his wings around the blue macaws, standing tall and unyielding himself. He made sure to not show any intent of hostility, but he knew that cowering in fear wouldn't help them either. The fact that the parrot wanted an explanation meant it was possible to salvage this situation. "We are members of a tribe far away from here, on a mission. We are only passing by."

"Passing by? Our scouts reported your team was staying here for two days now." The leader retorted, the accusing and distrusting tone not leaving his voice for a second. His subordinates kept their grip on the spears tight, and their bodies were tense as a spring, ready to leap on a moment's notice.

"Some of our members got hurt. We wished for them to recover a bit before we continue." Mark replied as calmly as he could, his expression stoic. So far the conversation didn't go in either direction, which meant he couldn't do anything.

"Those items with you. They are _human_. Things from those wretched creatures are forbidden in our territory." The leader spoke up once again, directing his glance at the team's supplies. The malice at which he spoke the word cemented Mark's view on the ambushers. He had to be really careful going forward, because just uttering the word caused the macaws under the leader's command to be on edge.

"From what I understand, this is the barren lands. Territories are unheard of around here. At least there are no border markers which would have alerted us that we are trespassing." This was a risky reply, but if the blue macaw could get more information about who they worked for, it could help them get out of this mess alive. If they were truly from a human hating tribe, then their best course of action is to just submit and get out. If they were a group of bandits looting, then it might be best to give them what they demand.

"Where did you get them?" The severe macaw retorted back, seemingly acknowledging the statement but chose to ignore it. While it seemed like a dick move, he had the superior force to back him up and allow him to do it.

"There was an abandoned human camp near our tribe on the way here. We looted it, since they might come in handy." The statement was only a half a lie, since it did originate from an abandoned camp, and they did take it because it would be useful. The answer turned out to do the trick, since it caused the severe macaw leader to think about his next actions. His concentration was broken by one of his subordinates, who spoke up, grabbing his attention.

"Sir. We found blue feathers near Danilo's corpse. It _must_ have been them."

_D__amn it__!_ Mark cursed in his mind, wanting nothing else but to slap and possibly strangle the macaw himself. Not only were they possessing human items in front of a human hating group of armed parrots, but now their involvement with the deceased psychopath was also brought to light. He was not a religious bird, but he was debating on praying at his point. Their fate might very well depend on what the group's relationship was with the crazy murderer.

The statement caused the severe macaw leader to narrow his eyes on Mark, but he stayed silent, his eyes slowly wandering through the rest of the blue macaws. Rodrigo managed to succeed in showing no emotion, while Sara kept glancing between the soldiers. Lucas, Blu and Diana decided to just avoid eye contact as much as possible, watching the weapons directed at them instead.

After what seemed like an eternity, he relaxed and commanded, but this time he directed his instructions at the soldiers next to him. "Stand down." The severe macaws obeyed right away, relaxing the tension in their bodies and moved their spears away from the blue macaws, but made sure to hold a firm grip on them. The sync and unison told the blue birds that these were trained soldiers and not just mere thugs.

The Spix's macaws let out a breath they didn't even know they held in, relaxing themselves as much as someone who is surrounded by strangers can. Mark was still probing the other leader for clues, but he failed to find anything noteworthy. What was apparent, was the severe macaw's silent question asking for details about his mission. That was something he could not speak of, and his whole team was ordered to die before giving that up. He just had to hope transparency would be enough.

"I'm afraid I am in no authority to give details about our mission. We swore an oath. What I can say however, is that it has absolutely nothing to do with either your tribe, or this territory in general." He informed him, remaining as stoic as possible. "Like I said, we only stopped here so our teammates can heal."

The response was as vague as the severe macaw expected, but it didn't help hide the scowl on his face for the lack of information. Still, considering what position they were in, the blue macaw was calm, which meant he was a very good liar, or told the truth. Deciding to give him a chance, he could see that the scarred parrot was eager to ask something. The severe macaw silently nodded at his request.

"I couldn't help but notice your change of demeanor when your subordinate mentioned this Danilo bird. I'd like to verbally confirm what you already know just in case. Yes, we killed him." As expected, the statement didn't cause surprise for the severe macaw, so Mark continued with his question. "I have a feeling we were not the original reason your group was dispatched. Was it?"

The group leader just nodded, confirming Mark's suspicions. "Correct. Danilo was a loose end regarding some of our affairs. He was exiled, told to never return. Scouts saw him multiple times in the last few months here. Our leader finally had enough and sent me to eliminate him." The severe macaw explained, clearing up some of the confusion the other party might have. "Looks like you did it for us… But didn't exactly get away scot-free." He made sure to point out the bandages on Blu, who had a light scowl on his face in response. The move peaked his teammates interest, since it was the first emotion he actually displayed in days.

"He attacked me at night, attempting to kill me for no reason. It was self defense." Diana clarified, speaking up for the first time, gathering the confidence to do so. She wanted to make sure they didn't see them as the aggressors who killed him just because he was alone and outnumbered.

The leader looked at her for a moment, but disregarded what she said nonchalantly. "I don't care why you did it. What matters is that he is dead…" He paused for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. "Now... about what to do with all of you." He thought out loud, but the way he said it caused the blue macaws to tense up once again. The sentence sounded rather ominous.

"I'm not a heartless monster like Danilo, so I won't harm any of you. Even though you are trespassing AND hoarding human items for whatever reason… Best I can do is this." He reassured the group once he saw what their reactions were. "When we got here, Danilo was dead. No idea who or what killed him. Neither of you were here." This seemed like a great deal on paper. Their mission would be completed, and Team Lucifer got out of it without causing a diplomatic incident. The severe macaw followed up by narrowing his eyes. "However, this does mean that all of you need to go. _N__ow_."

The rather harsh delivery once again caught them off guard with the exception of Mark and Rodrigo, but neither were happy with the offer. Mark really didn't want to push their luck, but the offer was absurd considering the circumstances they were in. "Not to be disrespectful, but there is a storm brewing right now. It will hit in an hour tops. Flying would be too dangerous in that weather. Can't we remain here until it passes over? We will be out of here the moment it is safe to do so." He tried the diplomatic approach, offering a good compromise.

The leader closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. If any independent patrol appears, all of us will be busted. You either willingly move now… or we have no choice but to force you." With that statement, the other severe macaws raised their spears once again, reminding the group they were serious in case they forgot. "You have ten minutes to do so."

The implications finally caught up with Rodrigo, and the macaw was furious. He glared daggers at the group leader, but realizing that will do them no good he looked at his own leader. "Mark, Blu is in no condition to fly that much, and we can't carry both him and his equipment!" The scarred macaw was aware of this and opened his beak to respond, but another bird beat him to it.

"I can do it." Blu exclaimed, not wanting to complicate the issue any further. After all, how far away could this tribe's borders actually be?

"Blu, if that gash was a few inches deeper, you'd be dead. The fact you can even glide is probably a miracle on its own. You can't fly like this." Diana cut off the blue macaw, scolding Blu to the best of her abilities. She clearly heard Rodrigo forbidding Blu from flying anywhere. Not to mention even if he could fly, it would just destroy all the healing progress done over the last few days.

"WE HAVE NO CHOICE!" Blu surprised everyone by shouting, instantly silencing the almost two dozen birds in the area. The sudden outburst granted him the opportunity to explain his reasoning. "If we don't go, these guys have every right to do whatever they want… Hell, we would do the exact same thing if this was the other way around, and you all know it!"

Thunder crackled in the distance, grabbing the whole group's attention for a second as they turned their heads towards the source of the ominous boom. As if on cue, the wind increased in strength, shaking the massive canopies of the ancient jungle trees around them. This was the worst possible time for any bird to head out on a long journey, but alas they will have to.

Blu sighed in frustration, knowing full well the pain and strain flight will take on his body. He would bear it, not because of social expectations, but because the team's needs simply outweighed his own. "The sooner we go the faster we can find shelter." With that statement, he ended the conversation. He ignored the eerie silence of the macaws around him, opted to instead walk over the item pile and find his weapon.

Mark realized there was simply no way to talk Blu out of it, and no way to make the severe macaws change their minds, he simply shook his head. He later turned towards his teammates. "Pack up. We're heading out." The other blue macaws didn't dare to say anything, obeying his command at once.

The severe macaws were silent, watching as the blue birds attached their weapons and other gear. Meanwhile the weather continued to worsen, and they couldn't help but show some guilt about the situation they forced the parrots into. When everyone was ready to head out, the leader spoke up. "Good luck with your mission, for what it is worth, I'm sorry it came to this."

Mark glanced at the severe macaw for a moment, deciding whether to speak or not. Recognizing there is nothing further to talk about, he chose to simply nod his head as a farewell greeting. Taking the lead, he unwrapped his wings and with a powerful jump leaped off from the branch, leaving the canopy behind. The rest of Team Lucifer followed suit, and soon enough the severe macaw group was left alone, unconsciously deciding to bundle up together as the wind continued to increase in intensity. They could hear the faint noise of rain droplets hit the leafs above them. Neither of the parrots wanted to be in the flying group's place.

* * *

**O****ne**** hour later**

"Bullshit! We are in the middle of the barren lands and these jackasses come here, telling me I was in their territory?" Lucas yelled out, trying to get his voice through the storm's noise as the group continued to soar through the air as fast as they could. "Did these idiots even hear of this invention called tribal borders?!" He continued his rant, trying to force some of the pent up anger out of his system. The other members didn't interrupt him, thinking once he managed to vent things would return to normal. Well, all but one.

"It doesn't matter Lucas. They had the advantage in numbers, they could have told you they were some sort of divine entities and you would have been forced to believe it." Rodrigo impatiently retorted, having enough of the younger macaw's antics. "We should count our lucky stars they didn't loot or murder us." He added shortly after, trying to make him understand just how bad that could have ended. The sudden perspective change seemed to have worked, because for the most part Lucas's ranting stopped.

"It is still a dick move! This weather is getting worse by the minute, and yet here we are risking our lives because they don't have basic empathy." The young bodyguard grumbled under his breath, periodically glancing behind himself to see how his friend is holding up. This wouldn't be that bad if they were all healthy and able to move at full speed. "Blu? You okay there buddy?"

The brown eyed macaw was everything but okay, but Lucas's question brought the entire team's attention on him, something he really didn't want. It was clear he was struggling, the wound getting more and more aggravated with each wing flap. "I'm going to manage." He tried to reassure them, but his ability to hide pain was not developed enough to fool veterans like Mark or Rodrigo.

"Leaving their territory is pointless if you drop dead, Blu." Mark pointed out, signaling the others to slow down. Blu managed to keep up at the beginning, but as time went by he started to fall back further and further. Meanwhile the rain was now pouring from the sky, decreasing visibility quite substantially. If that wasn't enough, seconds later massive gusts of wind swept across the area. The spectacle was truly phenomenal if one ignored the circumstances. The usually still jungle canopies connected together, forming a surface which waved like the ocean.

Blu didn't care about that, what he noticed was what his team was trying to do, and was having none of it. "N-No! We need to keep going!" His response was to increase his speed at the expense of even more strain on his body. He refused to be the reason they need to land before they were surely out of whatever tribe that group of severe macaws were talking about.

The rest of Team Lucifer wanted to protest the action, but in the midst of their arguing, neither paid close attention to their surroundings. Without even realizing it, the group started to gain altitude, subconsciously hoping they could escape the debris that started to fly around from the canopies. The raging storm had a terrible surprise for the group. The fast wind managed to mask the sound of something coming right at them.

"Blu, for the last time. Snap out of this and let's land!" Diana pleaded, starting to struggle herself against the weather. Blu said something, but a badly timed thunder deafened her for a moment. While she didn't catch what he said, what the female did catch was a weird shadow form below the canopy. From the size it appeared to be massive, and the shape resembled nothing she ever saw before.

Instinctively, the blue macaw removed her gaze from her injured teammate and looked forward. Her eyes widened in disbelief and without even thinking, she let out a blood curdling scream. "**WHAT IS THAT?!**" The scream had the desired effect. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and faced forward, only to react in similar ways.

"**HOLY CRAP LOOK OUT!**"

"**WHAT THE HELL?!**"

From seemingly nowhere, an enormous construct was soaring through the air, on a crash collision course with the whole group. From the very limited time they had to process what was in front of them, it reflected some of the light, and they only knew one material which did that. _Metal_. Mark quickly concluded this had to be human made. He couldn't voice this discovery though, because instincts took over and he yelled out the necessary commands instead. "SCATTER!"

The Spix's macaws frantically tried to get away, but the strong winds made it difficult. They only had seconds before impact, but thanks to their superior reflexes, they were able to maneuver away from the monstrosity's hull. All expect for Blu, who's tired and injured body couldn't generate enough momentum to fully get away.

"**BLU!**" His teammates screamed his name in desperation, but it didn't do anything good. Time seemed to slow down for the macaw, watching as the giant hunk of metal soared passed him by mere inches. For a moment he was relieved that the danger was over, but unfortunately he wouldn't be awake to know just how mistaken he was. While he did manage to just barely dodge a head on collision, a protruding piece of metal on the airplane's side managed to hit his head with just enough force to knock the macaw out.

The massive winds and turbulence generated by the aircraft swept up the parrot, pushing him along with the currents. He was unconscious, unable to hear the faint cries of his teammates as the wind continued to blow him away to who knows where.

* * *

**O****ne day l****ater, somewhere in the Amazon**

Two blue macaws soared through the lower canopy, using the thick net of leaves as protection against the cold rain and wind raging above. The duo was looking for adequate shelter which was close enough to a clean water source and food. Ironically, the rain didn't help in hydration because most areas where the water collected was too dirty to actually drink.

Jewel caught her friend's attention, showing her a tree in the distance where they could safely land. The vegetation grew thinner, marking a river or stream in the vicinity. Sure enough, just beyond the targeted tree, a clean river flown, bigger and wider thanks to the storm supplying more water than normal. The birds landed on a low hanging branch, inspecting themselves in closer detail now that they were not flying.

"Ugh. I regret the decision to head out. I'm almost soaked." Melisa pouted, shaking her body a bit to dry herself as much as possible. She didn't have enough moisture to render her flightless, but if they can't find shelter soon, it would become a reality. A flightless bird in the Amazon was a dead bird, so she tried to avoid it if possible.

"It was pretty clear an hour ago, I thought it blew over." Jewel admitted, trying to lighten up the situation a bit. It hit the mark, causing Melisa's beak to curve a small smile. Taking the moment to properly rest her wings, she looked around for possible shelter. Usually finding a hollow was not too difficult, but this was the barren lands. Without a big enough animal population, manually created holes were rare to come by.

Jewel soon joined in, going by the two heads are better than one idiom. She failed to find anything worth noting as a shelter, but instead a strange object caught her interest in the river below them. Her turquoise eyes landed on a strange blob floating on the surface between the chaotic currents. It was a mix of white, blue and something shiny. The out of place thing caused her to concentrate as the object floated closer and her eyes widened in disbelief when the form became much more profound.

"What is that?!… IS THAT A BIRD?!" She exclaimed frantically, pointing at the floating body. Melisa looked at the direction she was pointing at and after recognizing the shape, she too was speechless for a moment. It was definitely a bird. And the feather color was disturbingly similar to their own. Before she could reply anything, she felt the branch wobble under her feet, courtesy of Jewel leaping off and gliding towards the stranger.

Jewel's eyes scanned the area near the body, searching for possible sings of a predator. Finding none, she glided closer until she was only a talon's reach away. By this time Melisa got the memo and caught up with her, the two hovering over the cold water's surface. They didn't know how to get the macaw out of the water safely, not to mention if it was even alive. The duo looked at each other and silently conversed, somehow coming to the same conclusion. Time was of the essence at that moment.

They dropped down, just enough to be able to extend their talons and grab the limp and wet body. Both could feel heat radiating away, indicating the body wasn't in the water for long, which meant there was hope. Jewel grabbed what she though was the shoulder area while Melisa firmly held the talons poking out of the water. With one powerful motion, both macaws pushed up with all their might, successfully lifting the limp body out of the cold water when their strength overcame the water's surface tension a second later.

As they continued to gain altitude, the remaining water poured out of the body's plumage, turning the wet parrot lighter by the second and thus making it easier to carry. Not having enough time to plan, they flew back to the branch they perched on moments before.

It was high enough that they were safe but wide enough to allow all three of them to land at the same time. The duo carefully dropped the macaw on the branch before landing themselves, catching their breaths, lightly panting. Now that the body was out of the water they could inspect it more thoroughly.

It was definitely a macaw. The features and weight matched male and the plumage was navy blue in color. Although sometimes it might be hard for humans to distinguish between certain macaw species, Jewel and Melisa could recognize a member of their own without difficulty. This person was a Spix's macaw without a shadow of doubt. A thousand questions raced through Jewel's mind, but she managed to push them to the back of her mind for later, right now the most important thing was to see if he was actually still alive.

The duo stared at the body and were relieved when they saw his chest rise and fall. Although it was rough, he was breathing. Barely after they dropped him off, he began coughing up excess water, reminding the parrots what to do. Jewel grabbed his right shoulder with a talon and slowly turned him to his side, allowing the liquid to exit his mouth before he could drown. After a nerve wrecking ten seconds the miserable coughing stopped, leaving them in relative silence, only disturbed by the ambient jungle noises and the ragged breathing of the stranger.

"Who is this guy? Doesn't seem familiar at all." Melisa questioned, not able to place the face anywhere. This wasn't enough to raise suspicion though, since their tribe was big enough that for one person to know everyone was pretty much impossible. She glanced at her friend who's expression told the same story.

"The river flows in the opposite direction. Unless he was lost a few days ago, there is no way he followed after us. The tribe is in the other way." Jewel concluded, remembering where they were flying from. Now that his condition was somewhat stabilized, she could direct her attention to other details on the unconscious male. Her eyes inspected the shiny rod still attached to his back by vines, furrowing her brow in an attempt to find out what it was.

She never saw anything like it, and actually winced a bit when she touched the surface, surprised by the coldness of it. Her eyes widened when she realized why the _feeling_ was familiar. The human cage had the very same heat sucking surface as that rod. This raised red flags, but in order to not freak out Melisa and giving this stranger the benefit of the doubt, she decided to keep this to herself for now. The best guess she could make was that it was a weapon, because that was the closest thing the shape matched with.

The next thing was the white fabric wrapped around him rather tightly. Melisa had a similar interest, because she grabbed one of his wings and moved it over, exposing his full torso so they could see what the white fabric was for. They gasped when they saw a long red stain on his side. It didn't take a genius to figure out it was a bandage for a wound.

"We need to remove whatever this is and clean the wound, unless we want it to get infected." The brown eyed macaw stated, earning a simple nod from her companion. She looked around, scanning the surface for any herbs they could use. Letting out a quick and quiet frown for her search yielding no results, she directed her gaze to the light blue macaw. "I'm going to look around for something useful. Try to remove that bandage and… whatever that is on his back." With that order passed, she leaped off the branch towards the denser part of the jungle in silence.

Jewel decided to start with the strange weapon, concluding it would just get in the way. With swift movements from her right talon's sharp claws, the vines were cut, loosening the metal rod from his body. Using her wings to lift the unconscious body a bit, the woman was able to pull out the weapon from under him, placing it aside for further inspection later.

She examined the fabric's texture and toughness, figuring out if she could just cut it instead of rolling the poor soul around trying to find the knot holding it all together. Although cold due to still being soaked with water, she was pleasantly surprised how smooth it was. There was no way he found this in the jungle, this had to be somewhat related to humans. How he got it she was not sure, but whenever this stranger woke up he would be in for a lengthy questioning.

Albeit with more difficulty than the vines, her claws managed to triumph over whatever bonds held the fabric together. With quiet rip sounds she slowly but surely cut the bandage in half over the middle of his chest. Grasping the now useless cloth with her talon, she pulled it away from the body and yanked it over the branch, not caring where it might have landed.

Without any obstructions, she could finally see the wound the male tried to heal. To her surprise it was not as bad as she initially thought it would be. Signs of proper care were evident, and while the water managed to aggravate it, it was not something a bit of disinfecting couldn't solve.

With no more tasks at hand, she walked a few steps over and sat down, looking towards the ravaging river as it tugged logs and debris along on the surface. She closed her eyes and sighed, trying to calm her mind from the sudden turmoil. The last thing she thought was meeting a stray tribe member barely two days after getting permission to go back and free their trapped brothers and sisters.

Jewel was contemplating turning back with the injured macaw, because there was no way he would survive in such a condition alone. But if that happened she was not sure if they would get another chance, not to mention they were bound by time. After all, wait long enough and any trail turns cold. She frowned, concluding their only option was to continue, taking him with them.

A pair of wing flaps brought her back to the real world, head snapping towards the source of the sound. Her eyes met with familiar brown ones and quickly turned around, giving the female space to land. Between her talons were multiple types of herbs, vines and leaves. Throwing all of them on the branch, she looked at the injured macaw and was pleased to see the trash removed.

"While I make the disinfectant paste, could you look around and try to find a dry place big enough for all three of us? At this rate he will catch a cold on top of all his troubles. And we could use some warmth too." Melisa politely requested, already picking up different herbs and attempting to mush them together with a rock.

"Sure." Jewel replied with a small smile, leaping off the branch and flying away parallel with the river since that was the easiest way to find anything. The dark blue macaw continued mixing the ingredients, swiftly with no unnecessary movements. The end result was a green pasty substance littered with small bits of leaves. Once she was satisfied, she let it sit for a while as she prepared a few leaves she left alone.

The surfaces were cleaned before she flew back, possible because she found a clean pond while searching for the necessary herbs. Melisa neatly laid them flat against the tree bark, making sure not to touch anything. Last thing they needed was to contaminate them and cause infections later on when their purpose was to prevent it.

With everything prepared, she walked forward a few steps to take a look at the wound Jewel exposed before. True enough, it was much better than expected. The area was red due to irritation and a bit of blood was still pouring out, but thankfully no sign of infection. She grabbed one of the clean leaves and placed it near the wound, glancing up at the unconscious bird's face. _This is going to hurt, sorry._ She apologized within her mind, but it had to be done.

She applied a bit of pressure and as gently as possible scrubbed the area, removing the dried blood and dirt. As expected, the stranger's body did not appreciate the gesture and even though the man was unconscious he groaned in pain. Ignoring it as best she could, she kept working on cleaning the wound. Throwing the leaf away once it collected all the gunk, she turned back to check on the earlier made paste.

Thanks to the additional time, the paste softened a bit, making it perfect to apply. Catching another leaf with her wing, she dipped the same side's talon in the paste, pouring it on the green surface. Slanting it around a bit to even out the paste, she turned back towards the injured macaw and thought about how to best apply it.

Since the wound was as clean as it could be, she opted to just rub it on the gash's surface. Placing the leaf over it, she heard the almost silent but slightly pain filled hiss from the unconscious macaw. Even though he couldn't see it, she had an apologetic smile on her face, knowing the paste stung like a son of a bitch. As soon as the gash was covered with the medicine, she removed and threw away the leaf just like the last one.

As if on cue, Jewel dipped below the canopy near the tree they were on, landing a few meters away from them to make sure her landing wouldn't knock anything off. Melisa glanced up from the injured macaw to meet her friend's gaze. "Found anything?"

"Yes. One just on the river's bank a bit down stream. We can carry him there easily." Jewel walked next to her, curiously watching as her friend worked. "How is he?" She asked, tilting her head a bit to the side in uncertainty as she saw the pained expression on the unconscious bird's face.

"I cleaned the wound and then applied the disinfectant. All in all, he's taking it like a champ. Or he's just too knocked out to scream like most people." Melisa admitted with a slight chuckle, the reaction mirrored by her friend a second later. The dark feathered macaw turned around to prepare a few vines and the last leaf she had laid out. She examined the vine in closer detail, pulling it to check how elastic and strong it was while also searching for possible tears.

Finding no problem with it, she placed it behind her so when she turned back it would be within talon reach. Moving on to the final leaf, the female scooped up a bit more of the paste and made sure to smear it all over the clean surface. After she was satisfied with the amount, the macaw turned around for the last time and carefully placed it over the wound, shielding it from further damage while also providing fresh disinfectant for the time being.

"Can you lift him up a bit? We need to make sure the bandage won't fall off." Melisa's request was granted without question as soon as she finished asking. Jewel once again grabbed the stranger by his shoulders, lifting him up from the tree branch just enough to give her friend enough room to work.

The impromptu medic got to work right away and wrapped the vine around his torso three times where the leaf was placed. Silently nodding that it was done, Jewel lowered the unconscious macaw back down, taking a step back to give Melisa room. While the brown eyed parrot tied a secure knot, Jewel walked over and picked up the strange weapon. She was surprised by the weight of the rod. It was heavier than a normal stick but not by much. In fact, the added mass probably made it superior to regular wooden sticks macaws usually fought with.

Thunder crackled in the distance, illuminating the jungle and penetrating even the thick canopy above them, casting fractal like designs of light on the surface before vanishing just as quickly as it appeared. The duo looked up at a clear patch and saw the rain pouring down harder now. "We should go before it gets worse." Jewel advised, looking for a spare vine on the branch. Finding none available, she turned around and fortunately her friend managed to bring back more than necessary.

"Yeah." Melisa agreed, eyeing the finished bandage with pride on her face. _I knew mom's teachings were not f__or__ n__othing__._ She thought to herself, redirecting her attention to her friend a few seconds later just as the light blue macaw tied a vine around her torso, the stranger's rod firmly attached to her back. "You want to bring that back too?" She questioned, tilting her head to the side in curious fashion.

"Mhm. It might come in handy." Jewel replied. The two macaws jumped into the air and quickly got a hold of the stranger, now able to find a comfortable position. With their combined strength, the unconscious parrot was lifted off the branch and the group was on their way to find shelter from the relentless rain, with Jewel in the lead.

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...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-…

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**At last, fate has brought our favorite blue macaws together! ****This is where the fun be****gins.**

**I knew tying together the two storylines was going to be tough, but this was just ridiculous. And I have the story outlined! … Roughly. This chapter was rewritten three times before I arrived here. This was the primary reason the chapter took so long to come out, so apologies for that. I hope the quality didn't suffer ****too much**** for it.**

**The world really didn't need a pandemic on top of all its troubles already. I'm starting to feel it's effects, and I'm the stay inside all day type of guy, so I can only guess what 'regular' people go through. I hope my story can offer some people temporary escape from this whole mess.**

**Stay inside, watch out for each other and we **_**will**_** get through this!**


	8. A rocky start

**Chapter 8**

A rocky start

**Disclaimer**

_I do not own Rio._

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Blu's mind was dark as the starless night sky, the feeling of bone chilling cold and suffocating silence accompanying him in the void that was his mindscape. He couldn't register the passage of time, so Blu had absolutely no idea how long this state lasted. From seemingly nowhere, a light flashed brightly on the horizon, enveloping Blu in nonsensical dream sequences which turned out to be a mixture of his memories and feelings; The best way he could describe them was fever dreams. As the silly images evaporated from his mind, he started to slowly regain his awareness.

The first thing which returned was his feeling of touch and temperature. The macaw deducted that he must be inside a hollow, because he could feel the rough tree's texture underneath him, while cold breezes swept by his back, courtesy of winds blowing inside an open entranced hollow. Moments later his hearing joined his ever growing list of senses and after the annoying ringing passed, he heard the gentle tap of rain pouring down on the jungle's canopies outside.

Blu's facial muscles got right back to work, forming a grimace on his face as he felt the first wave of dull and stinging sensation of pain radiating from his side. It was nowhere near unbearable, but it would hinder his movements if he had to do anything physical right now without some sort of painkiller. Panic enveloped him for a moment when he heard talons scraping the tree bark just a few centimeters from his resting position. Before his fight or flight response could take over, he got control over himself and stopped his body from acting out any sudden movements.

He calmly thought it through and realized somebody probably helped him, and while it was possible the savior left and some unknown predator found him here, he didn't give too big of a chance for that possibility. After all, why would someone help him only to leave the unconscious macaw unsupervised? Finally, Blu managed to get back manual control of his eyelids, allowing him to slowly open them. Gradually his brown irises dilated, granting his pupil the ability to gather enough light that he could see what was going on around him.

Blu lazily opened his eyelids about half way, allowing his eyes to regain their focus on their own. His vision was met with the semi dark interior of a hollow, the light coming from his back, casting an almost unnoticeable shadow on the wall. The real kicker was the mass of dark blue right in front of him, which seemed to twitch and tense up the moment it realized he was trying to focus on it.

"Ah, you're awake." The feminine toned voice called out to him in a mixture of relief and surprise, causing him to concentrate harder to get the focus he needed. Seconds later his eyes finally complied to his request, granting him a clear glance at the stranger. He withheld his breath when he comprehended what was before him.

A female macaw with dark blue feathers rivaling his own, coupled with a slightly lighter shade of brown eyes then what he saw when looking in a mirror. In fact, if someone asked him what would he imagine himself to look like with a reversed gender, this stranger would be the answer. The deepest, most primal parts of his brain caught all the subtle cues, telling him this woman was about the same age as him but perhaps more importantly, the species was definitely Spix's macaw.

Before his dumbfounded staring would become disrespectful and rude, he tried to think of something meaningful to say to break his silence, but failed to come up with anything engaging. In the end, he decided to just stick with the basic set of questions one can ask in a situation like this. "Ugh… Where am I?" He groggily questioned, trying to force sound through his barely used syrinx.

His lack of aggression led the female to visibly relax her tensed body, maintaining eye contact with the dazed parrot. "You are inside a hollow in the barren lands. My friend and I found you in the river." She carefully explained as best she could, eyeing every move the stranger made, but couldn't find any malice in them, only confusion.

"I see… I, uh. I believe I owe you for treating me?" He nodded his head in acceptance and questioned her role, fixing his posture by the second as the final waves of drowsiness left his body. The Spix's macaw let out a quiet chuckle in response to the query.

"Understatement of the century. If we didn't see you when we did, you would have drowned in a matter of minutes." She replied, allowing the information to sink in. It didn't hurt to make sure the bird knew he owed them his very life, after all, you never know when you might need a favor. Before the male could continue to steer the conversation, she carried on with her own question. "What's your name?"

The macaw tilted his head to the side, finding the question strange, as if it was the stupidest question he ever heard; He was the leader's son after all. Without wasting a single moment, he responded. "Blu. Blu Gunderson." The quickness in answering put the woman at ease, because it meant he didn't have to think about a fake name. Then again, he could have decided upon a fake name before whatever happened to him, but that wasn't likely. What made her raise an eye however, was the use of a double name.

"Blu? Gunderson?" She repeated his answer to make sure the macaw wasn't just still dazed or confused. Once again, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, he simply nodded. She could see the faint traces of suspicion forming in the back of his mind via his eyes; Apparently her response wasn't what he was looking for.

"What's yours?" He asked out of the blue, breaking her concentration. She was taken back by the sudden interest, but realized it was only fair to repay the courtesy.

"Melisa." She answered calmly, but soon realized the parrot was still waiting, as if she also had two names. Before it would turn awkward, she corrected herself. "Just Melisa. I… I don't have two names." She continued to watch the macaw as the subtle suspicion and confusion carried on going, causing her to become uncomfortable and tense again. If anyone here was weird, it was him, not her.

Blu on the other hand understood the predicament, and he had a very bad feeling about this whole situation. First off, as much as he hated it, every bird in the tribe knew who he was. Second, she seemed to have been taken back by the existence of family surnames, which made him raise his own eyes. With the force of a tsunami hitting shore, concern quickly flooded over him as he puzzled together the knowledge he gained.

The woman told him he was still in the barren lands. Surnames were something they picked up when his tribe first occupied the abandoned human base and they learned the writing system. This meant that to his knowledge, the Spix's macaw tribe was the only animal group to apply this irrefutably useful feature. But here lies the problem, she was without a question a blue macaw, so why was the concept so foreign to her?

The other fact of the matter was that ever since he was little, he knew the inner happenings of the tribe because his father didn't think he would care enough to listen in on leadership matters when home. He would have known if anyone was banished to the barren lands for crimes, yet he never heard of such a case.

Next was her age. She was definitely about the same age as himself, but that would mean somehow a chick would have been exiled, and that was not something his father would do. So how did a relatively young parrot like her end up here? Maybe she had parents and they were banished before she was born? Blu mentally shook his head, stopping the thoughts right there. Something was definitely wrong, and he was determined to find out what, but right now he couldn't afford to show even the slightest bit of possible aggression.

Before the tension could escalate any further, distraction arrived by the form of Jewel, who just got back from scavenging. The two macaws inside the hollow snapped their heads towards the entrance when they heard the wing flaps and talons scraping. Seconds later Jewel stepped in and froze for a moment when she saw two pair of eyes on her instead of one.

Her eyes immediately glued to the stranger who was still in a sitting position but definitely awake. The only new feature she could see were his brown eyes, which were staring back at her in a probing manner. "I'm back with food." Jewel greeted with a normal tone once her temporary shock was over, holding up the brazil nuts in her right talon. "Already met Melisa I presume?" Her question was directed at the male macaw, who after a moment of consideration nodded.

"Yes. I woke up a few minutes ago. I'm Blu Gunderson, nice to meet you." Blu replied in a similarly neutral tone, managing to completely hide his true emotions. He wasn't as startled as they expected because Melisa made sure to mention she was not alone. He took the time to subtly inspect the newcomer, taking in her features to memory. Bright blue plumage and brilliant turquoise eyes stared back at him. _Wait what? Brilliant? Where did that come from?_ He asked himself, dismissing the thought right away, since the new parrot got ready to speak.

"Nice to meet you Blu… Gunderson. I'm Jewel." She introduced herself with a slight nod, but once again, the mention of a double name painted a weird look on her face, temporarily breaking eye contact to look at her companion in question. Melisa just shrugged, not knowing what was up. Without any useful information, the woman decided to drop it for now and welcomed herself in, throwing the food near the walls for later use.

The next ten minutes or so went by with a snail's pace, and awkward for every participant involved. Obviously, both parties were wary of each other, wanting know just how the other got into the mess they were now in. Attempts at small talk were tried by all three of them, but due to the lack of chemistry they quickly died down. This irritated the cyan blue macaw, and in turn caused Blu to honestly miss unconsciousness. He glanced at the parrot and saw that she was about to blow. _Perhaps things will progress somewhere now._ He thought to himself.

"Okay, this is starting to get ridiculous!" Jewel erupted with irritation sizzling on her face, eyeing the lone male with a sudden probing gaze that was way more intense than before, ignoring all social politeness as she did so. "All three of us know something is wrong, so let's drop this nicely getting along attitude and get to the point." The blunt statement caused a shift in Blu as well. He understood his timid nature won't help him in this situation, as it would just undermine his credibility. A frown developed on his features and he narrowed his eyes at the blue macaw in response.

"So I was not alone in this then… I guess beating around the bush isn't everyone's cup of tea." The idiom seemed to miss both women but it wasn't something important enough to acknowledge in the moment. Before either of them could retort, Blu pressed on, finally voicing the thoughts inside his mind. "Not to sound ungrateful for the rescue, but why did two banished birds help a tribe member?"

Both macaws' features went through confusion, feeling insulted and finally hot furious glares which bore right into his very soul. This caused him to mentally flinch, remembering a certain woman from his close friend group. Melisa sputtered a few incoherent words at first, collecting herself to angrily retort in their defense. "Banished?! Now listen here, did you hit your head so hard you seemed to forget the _little_ fact Jewel right here is…"

Meanwhile, Jewel's eyes widened at the implications the question held and moved next to her friend, placing a wing on her beak before she could announce to the world at large what her family relations were. The angry macaw temporarily directed her gaze at her, fury still in her eyes. Jewel just subtly shook her head, getting the message across right away. 'Leave that out for now.' Melisa although hesitantly at first, nodded her head in acceptance. She didn't know why Jewel wanted to keep her identity a secret yet, but figured she would get her answer soon.

Unfortunately, the outburst did not go unnoticed by Blu, who cleared his throat to gain back the two females' attention. "Jewel is what?"

"If you don't know it, then that is none of your concern right now." Jewel answered flatly, stating end of discussion on the matter. Blu kept his eyes narrowed on the light blue macaw, but found her will to be made of steel. As a response, he mentally backtracked, causing him to examine his own emotions and actions. Considering he was hurt and outnumbered two to one, he was really in no place to demand anything right now.

Blu couldn't figure out what made him outburst like that, since this was not his nature. If either Mark or Lucas saw this, they would say he grew a spine or balls respectively. But that doesn't help if you get beaten up on it, he thought, so instead he decided to fall back on a strategy that never failed him before. "Okay. Let's backtrack a bit and calm down. I guess all of us were a bit on edge… We both have questions and want answers." The inner diplomat tore to the surface with a surge of confidence even Blu didn't know the origin of. "So let's compromise. You two ask one question, then I ask one. Repeat until we are satisfied. Sounds good?" He suggested.

The hostility on his face vanished, replaced with a neutral but considerate look. It was a gamble, because he just gave up most of the mental ground he gained with the initial retort. The women would either see it as weakness or an admirable trait to know how to lose and accept not being in control, something that was rare when it came to any living being; Men especially.

The two blue macaws glanced at each other, silently conversing between one another. They were friends for so long they could read each other like an open book, which was a good tool to use when wanting to communicate without an outsider knowing what they were thinking. The change of demeanor surprised them, but considering what was happening it was a nice change. "Alright, sounds fair enough." Jewel announced their answer, directing her vision back at the brown eyed man, still with a distrusting gaze.

"Seriously. What is your real name." Jewel took the following silence as an invitation and began her series of questions, starting with the blue macaw's weird habit of using two names.

"I'm being serious. My name is Blu Gunderson." He replied, but couldn't help the irritation which dripped from his voice at the accusation of possibly lying. He had no reason to do so. "I have two names." He added shortly after, remembering how weirded out they were about this fact.

"How old are you?" Melisa was next as per their agreement, hoping to gain enough information so she could place him somewhere in the tribe. On the outside he was a completely average looking macaw, but some of his antics were alien to say the least. Something like this would surely have circulated among the tribe.

"Ten." The response was brief and on point. The trio heard a faint hissing sound from outside, but with the wind still blowing, the jungle canopies emitted lots of sounds. With no repetition, the group ignored it and turned back to the conversation. Now, it was his turn. "Are there any more blue macaws around us?"

The two women shook their head in unison. The reaction was too quick for them to think about it, which gave Blu the feeling they were telling the truth. At least he didn't have to worry about a possible ambush in his injured condition.

"How did you get separated from the tribe. That gash looked pretty bad." Melisa remembered the whole ordeal regarding his injuries. The wound didn't look natural, and she did spot a few faint bruises when treating him. This meant he saw combat. But against who exactly? Why was he such an enigma to them?

Blu seemed to hesitate for a moment once he understood the question, going as far as breaking eye contact as he pondered over what to do. It was top secret, only the council knew what was going on. Like Mark said to the severe macaws, they swore an oath to keep their beaks shut. This included even Spix's macaw tribe members, and that meant banished birds were even less entitled to that information. "I got injured while saving a friend in the barren lands. We were sent on a mission."

He finally looked back at the two blue macaws and his gaze shifted towards Jewel. He could see her lungs expanding as she got ready to speak, but somehow he knew exactly what the parrot was about to ask, and decided to answer it right away, saving time. "The mission is classified. Given to me by the tribe leader himself."

This raised every red flag inside Melisa's mind. She immediately looked at Jewel, silently asking if it was true. Surely, being his daughter, she would know if a mission like this was indeed ordered by Eduardo. Although it made little sense, the tribe was in the other direction when they found him in the river. Why would the old bird send any team away from the flock in a time like this? After all, they had to literally beg and nag him so they could go and rescue their trapped brethren.

Jewel shook her head in a definite no, having no knowledge whatsoever about any mission like that. There were two possibilities here. Either her father didn't tell her, or this Blu Gunderson was lying. She believed the latter, and she was not going to let this lie slide. They managed to catch him in the act, even though he played the seemingly innocent pretty well. Perfect time to figure out his connection to humans.

"Yeah, sorry but we won't buy that talk." Jewel retorted, tensing up her body unconsciously in the process. The action hasn't gone unnoticed by the macaw next to and in front of her. Melisa slightly adjusted her pose to better block or attack, and if the light blue parrot's actions were somehow missed by Blu, the medic's certainly forced him to move.

Even though the leaf and vines were still wrapped around his body, he could move enough to change his stance without much discomfort. He took one step backwards, but stopped when he felt his tail feathers lightly brushing against the hollow's wall. Blu adjusted his posture and unfolded his wings a tiny bit, making him appear bigger as a result. This conversation was derailing very fast. His eyes broke contact once again and quickly darted around the hollow, searching for his trusted weapon.

Jewel noticed what he was searching for and took a step back herself, her right talon landing on Blitzkrieg. There was no way for Blu to get to the weapon without going through the female. If he came at her full force then it might work, but for some reason people had a tendency to underestimate Jewel. And she also had her friend beside her.

"The tribe leader wouldn't send macaws away from the flock in times like this. It is not nice to lie." She stated as a matter of fact, narrowing her eyes at the still considered stranger. "I had it with this. Where did you get those human bandages? And what is this weapon? Talk!" She commanded, getting her body primed and ready for an attack.

_Not good, not good! Two versus one and I'm cornered! Just great._ Blu thought to himself, not budging an inch. He was confused, not understanding how the situation deteriorated so fast. Sure, they were wary but until he mentioned the mission things were going great. "Where did I get the stuff?" He repeated the question just to make sure they were on the same page. The lack of response gave the answer he was looking for.

"Hmph. I got it from the human camp." Seeing that he was outnumbered, he thought it was best if he played along and answered their interrogation. But he still didn't know why they were so hostile all of a sudden. Were they jealous perhaps? "After all, I live there, it wasn't hard to get them." He added shortly after as a matter of fact, but the reaction was not what he expected.

"What." Melisa blurred out in sudden confusion. The answer simply didn't compute in her mind. It didn't want to compute. There was no way a blue macaw would work with humans. Yet this bird just told them he practically lives with them. A misunderstanding, but neither party knew that as of now.

Her companion froze just the same. She stared at the man in complete disbelief, even lowering her guard for a moment in pure shock. It took a few seconds for her to fully process the implications, and let's just say the result was not pretty.

"**YOU ARE A PET?!**" She shrieked from the top of her lungs. Her body was loaded like a spring, her right talon's claws were raised and extended forward, ready to leap at the blue macaw in an instant. Humans were the reason her tribe was in this mess, and it looks like she found the first Spix's macaw who willingly worked with them. He was a pet, a traitor and the only reason she didn't leap was the similarly powerful outburst.

"What?! **NO!**" Blu boomed in return. If Jewel's scream didn't alert everyone in a two mile radius to their presence, Blu's certainly did. "How dare you?!" He continued his shouting, forgetting for a moment he was outnumbered and cornered. "We are not _pets_!" His eyes were narrowed, and he got into the battle stance he learned from basic school. It was the only one he knew, and Mark made sure he trained enough to be fluid in it. It was far from being the ideal form for wing to wing combat, but alas that's what he had to work with.

"You said you live in human buildings!" Melisa was the next to shout, getting ready to attack the male in a moment's notice. She kept her peripheral vision on Jewel to follow her lead if she made a move. With how things were turning out, she was starting to regret treating this Blu Gunderson.

"Which was abandoned by them for decades now!" The young man retorted, not removing his gaze from the two macaws even for a second. He could see they were ready to attack any moment, so he kept all of his senses on high alert. Blu could have sworn that on top of the ambient jungle, he heard leaves ruffling near the entrance of the hollow. He ignored it once again, since he couldn't afford the luxury of glancing to the sides.

Both parties had the same train of thought, and as it turned out, it was a big mistake on their part.

"Nnnoisssssssssy fooood." An alien and bone chilling voice filled the hollow. The three macaws froze like statues for a moment, and that was just enough time for the intruder to make its grand entrance. An enormous green tree boa pushed itself inside the hollow, leaping at the closest parrot to the hole, who happened to be Melisa.

The dark blue macaw didn't have enough time to react. The snake quickly opened its mouth and caught the bird, causing all the inhabitants to scream with a sudden panic. Using the confusion to its advantage, the boa quickly pushed more of its body inside and began to curl around the still stunned macaw. The only thing Melisa could say was a weak "Can't breathe." She quickly realized how bad of an idea that really was. The snake kept its grip firm, and the moment Melisa's lungs exhaled air to speak, the powerful muscles tightened around her torso, making sure she could no longer take more air in.

By this time, Blu and Jewel managed to stand up. The sight was truly horrifying, in fact, they were certain this was probably the nightmare for many prey animals in the jungle. Jewel remembered her encounter with the harpy eagle's glare while in her cage, while Blu recalled both Ugo and Danilo's confrontation. His wings began to tremble, his brain entering a new panic attack episode.

Jewel seemed to display the same behavior, but the sudden dose of adrenaline from her brain quickly made her snap out of it. She knew they were in really big trouble, and every moment wasted was one moment closer to Melisa's early death. Seeing her friend in that state, rage quickly consumed her, like a wild fire engulfing a dried forest. Soon enough the bird could only see red. "**LET HER GO!**" The blue macaw leaped forward, extending her open talons full of sharp claws.

Due to the small hollow, impact was quick. For a moment she thought her talons managed to pierce the snake's scales, but instead the reptile opened its mouth and turned its face to a perfect angle, allowing the razor sharp needle like teeth to block the macaw's attack. Jewel quickly jumped back, spotting the metal weapon laying on the ground. Acting on pure instinct, she quickly picked up the alien rod and held it firm. She was by no means a master when it came to long stick fighting, but it would have to do.

The macaw looked over to see what Blu was doing, and wasn't impressed to say the least. The poor soul was shaking like a leaf in a storm, but his eyes were not focused at all. This probably meant he was suffering from some sort of panic attack. Unfortunately, the bird was of no use in this state, so she did the only thing she could think of. "SNAP OUT OF IT!"

The yell did the trick perfectly. Blu snapped out of his episode, returning him to the real world, but he couldn't decide which was worse to be honest. Now with adrenaline in his own system, his training with Mark finally kicked in, turning his brain to overdrive. He looked around the room quickly, noting every detail his eyes could see. Blitzkrieg was no longer on the ground, it was between the wings of Jewel interestingly enough, who used it to block the snake's attack.

Not that he wanted her to be unarmed and thus vulnerable, but a frown did develop on his face. The metal rod was the only weapon in the hollow, and he was pretty useless without it. That was until he looked at the entrance and realized there was a whole world out there. A world where he could run off to and live to see another day… But that wouldn't be right. Even though the two women and he were practically at each other's throats a minute prior, they were Spix's macaws. Not to mention they saved him from drowning, so technically he had a debt to repay.

While the outside world would be his way out of here, it would also be the only way he could get something to fight with or figure out a plan. Without a second thought, the blue macaw darted at the entrance, quickly dodging the snake's body which tried to hit him in the process. The natural painkiller made him forget his injury, allowing the macaw to fight with his full potential.

Jewel was shocked at the move, she didn't want to believe what she just witnessed. Instead of helping her, the parrot just dashed off and left the hollow. "**HEY! GET BACK HERE COWARD!**" She yelled out after him in fury, but a reflex dodge brought her back to reality. The snake was still there and adamant on attacking her, while also continuing to strangle Melisa. Jewel had bigger issues at the moment.

Blu passed the entrance and had to squint his eyes in response, the outside light slightly blinding him. He landed on a branch just a few meters from the hollow, and although he'd never admit it, he wished he didn't turn back. Now, he could see the true extent of the reptile, and it nauseated him. The boa was probably longer than three meters. It could strange all three of them if they were in the open. Luckily, the snake decided to attack them inside the small hollow, which meant its truly enormous size advantage was practically thrown out the window.

He glanced around once more, and this time he was pleased to spot several objects of potential use right away. A handy thin branch grew right beside him, which would make for a perfect long stick. He thought about bringing it back and exchanging it with Jewel for Blitzkrieg. If he could get his hands on it, electricity would surely have a word with the assaulting reptile. The problem with that approach was the hostage situation, electricity was not known to be picky.

The next idea still consisted on trading the weapons, just for a different purpose. Even though he couldn't use his trump card, it was still a metal rod with sharp and pointy ends. Jewel could distract it long enough to allow Blu the opportunity to stab the scaly reptile. He didn't care how big or scary it was, being stabbed hurt. It was something he could personally testify. But that idea too had a big weak point, he had no idea how the snake would react. Yes, it could let go of Melisa in pain, giving them a chance to escape, but it could also increase the pressure in response, crushing the parrot.

With that idea discarded, his gaze fell on the second object of interest, or rather, objects. Multiple vines grew directly over the hollow's entrance. _I could make a slingshot with it if I had ammo…_ And suddenly, a lightbulb went off inside his head. It was time the snake had a taste of its own medicine. Blu leaped off the branch and barely avoided a crash landing against the tree bark.

Using his beak and claws, he snapped one end of the vines, giving him a pretty strong makeshift rope. Tugging it a bit to make sure it managed to unstick itself from the trunk's surface, the blue macaw dropped down and entered the hollow, the vines securely sitting between his beak. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dimmer environment, and he could see Jewel lashing out against the reptile, barely missing the snake's face.

He quickly looked at Melisa and was relieved to see her still struggling. Not because he was a sadist, but because it meant there was still hope. Blu ran towards the light blue macaw, halting himself just when the boa decided to lash out. His quick reflexes saved him from being bit by the snake, and Jewel only then realized he was back.

She was surprised to say the least, but there was no time to really call him out or thank him. She saw the group of vines in his mouth, but she was unable to figure out what he planned to do with it. Still, she wouldn't say no to help no matter how little it was. Taking the opportunity which has risen after the snake lashed out, she used Blitzkrieg to scrape along its scaly hide, causing it to shriek in pain. It quickly retracted its body to move in a more defensive position.

This was the opening Blu wanted, and used it to its full potential. He quickly dashed in front of the injured serpent, making it to the other side of the hollow. Once he was there, he waved with his wings, grabbing Jewel's attention. The light blue parrot turned towards him with a questioning look, and although she didn't exactly know how, she understood what he wanted a moment later.

The female lunged at the still defensive snake, enraging it further. "Pessssst." It hissed in fury, dodging the attack and moving in to bite her. She spun around and blocked the boa's attack just in time. Meanwhile Blu flew over it, carefully dragging the vines with him. Now the hook was officially complete. The boa didn't seem to notice it, and Blu wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

While the serpent prepared for another attack, he quickly scanned the hollow's ceiling, and it turned out luck was on their side today. He saw a perfect protrusion where he could wedge himself and the rope. Now with his new target acquired, he looked back at the battle which was still raging next to him. The snake just missed another one of its frontal attacks, hitting the hard tree bark. "Youu will payy for thattt." The serpent threatened as it shook its head a few times to get rid of the dizziness. The boa retracted once more to get its bearings on its prey.

_Check mate._ Blu exclaimed smugly within his mind. Once more, the blue macaw dashed in front of the snake, successfully managing to wrap the rope around the beast's neck. The boa's eyes widened, finally feeling the thick vines around its neck. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be able to do anything against it. Without wasting a moment, Blu spread his wings and dashed towards the protrusion full speed. He quickly tied the vines around it, giving him more surface area to work with.

"Let's see how you like it!" He taunted before pulling the vine as hard as he could. The snake hissed in anger as it felt its body being lifted up by the vines. The serpent tried to thrash around, but the rope was too strong. Moments later, it was forced against the wall, and from that point onward the scaly reptile felt the very same force it used to hunt all its life.

Jewel was awe stuck at the sight, dropping the metal rod as she felt it was no longer needed. Never before had she seen a snake choking. Her eyes slowly wandered over to where Blu was, and she could see that he was struggling. Understanding this was their only chance to save Melisa and defeat the predator, she flew up next to him and grabbed the vine. She propped herself against the hollow's wall and pulled with all her might.

The snake continued to thrash around, desperately trying to break free and escape, it no longer saw this venture as profitable. The vines and the two macaws pulling was too strong however, and since its whole body was still dangling outside the hollow, it couldn't muster enough muscle power to free itself. From this point onward, it was a battle of attrition, one the macaws would win. Blu and Jewel continued to hold out firm, listening to the sounds it made. The protrusion hid the snake from their view, so the only thing they could go off was sound. After maybe a minute of this epic fight, the mighty snake finally started to slow down with its erratic movements.

Consequently, the death grip it held over Melisa finally lessened, and a few seconds later the blue macaw fell down from the snake's wrapped body, hitting the hollow's floor harder than normal. She broke out coughing immediately, but as time went on, she got control over her breathing back. Melisa opened her beak and inhaled the deepest breath of her life. Waves of euphoria flushed through her body, taking in the sweet oxygen her body so desperately needed.

Meanwhile the two parrots continued to pull on the rope, and after what seemed like an eternity of struggle, the serpent finally ceased to move completely. The two macaws kept their hold firm, carefully listening to the inside of the hollow. They could hear Melisa's ragged breathing, but no movement or protest from the predator. "I… I think its unconscious. We can let go now." Blu spoke up, heavily panting himself from the labor intensive task.

Jewel looked at him as if he was pink. "Are you out of your mind? If we keep it suffocating, it will die. Then the danger will be over."

"It is knocked out, and most of its body is outside. If we let go, it won't be able to hold onto anything, and it will fall down." Blu replied between his heavy panting, propping himself to a more comfortable position on to the wall. "I doubt it will survive the fall." He added shortly after, looking at the light blue macaw next to him.

She was about to protest but decided not to speak. Yes, it would fall down, but there was a chance it would survive the fall, and then come back for revenge. Then, she realized they would probably be out of this hollow very soon, so even if it did climb back, it would only find an empty hollow for its troubles. Nodding her head in agreement, the two macaws simultaneously let go of the makeshift rope. Now that nothing was holding the massive snake's body, gravity swiftly took over.

As the serpent's body fell down, the vine went with it. The unconscious head hit the side of the entrance on the way out, lowering its chances of survival further. Finally, the massive serpent left the hollow completely, leaving the three macaws in relative silence. Until they heard a faint thud seconds later, then silence once more.

Blu and Jewel glided down to the floor and the woman quickly ran over to her friend, checking if she was okay. Blu looked around and found his faithful weapon companion on the floor right next to him. He picked it up with his wings and moved over to the entrance, carefully peeking outside to make sure the snake was truly gone. He couldn't see anything, which meant they were most like likely safe for the time being.

With that no longer lingering in his conscience, the blue macaw turned back and walked over to Melisa, who was currently brought up to a sitting position by Jewel so she could breathe better. Blu stopped at a respectable distance from the two and made sure to drop the weapon as a sign of trust. "How you holding up?" The dark blue macaw who could have passed as a distant relative in terms of appearance looked at him with a wary gaze.

"Considering I was almost crushed to death, I'm fine I guess." She answered the question, keeping her eyes glued on the male. After what seemed like minutes, he finally let his guard down and plopped on the floor, exhaustion catching up with his body. The lack of adrenaline also reminded the blue macaw of Danilo's curse.

"Ugh. Damn that severe macaw." He cussed to nobody in particular, more annoyed than anything about the injury. Surprisingly, the pain was not as bad as he remembered, which made him think. Was Melisa's treatment so much better than Rodrigo's, or was he out cold long enough that it managed to heal?

"Severe macaw?" Jewel questioned with a raised eye, not expecting that statement. How a macaw from a species she barely saw in her life came into the picture, she didn't know. Luckily, Blu was kind enough to elaborate.

"He was the bird who threw a spear at me." He clarified, also giving the two women further insight into his past. It was not intentional, but by the time he realized his error it was too late anyway. He was really tired, and honestly, he didn't give a damn what they wanted to do from this point onward.

An enigma, this Blu was, and perhaps they judged him too quickly. His still confusing connection to humans unnerved the two childhood friends, but the actions he just displayed were in complete contradiction to what he should have been like. Melisa felt her stomach turn as she realized just how close she was to actually die. Jewel fought for her without question, which she would never forget, but she had to admit it wouldn't have saved her.

She barely made any progress with the reptile, and if she was strangled for another minute or so, she would have been dead. The only reason Melisa was still breathing and Jewel was not lying on the floor crushed or bitten to death was Blu's quick impromptu plan. Who would even think of using vines to _strangle a boa_. It was unorthodox, and it probably made him a dangerous opponent. They didn't get a chance to see him actually fight with the metal rod he originally had with him, but now she didn't want to battle against him.

Jewel had a similar train of thought. She was sure his connection to humans meant he was a traitor, and when he dashed out of the hollow she truly thought that was the last time she would see the macaw. Instead, he came back with a ludicrous idea and it actually worked. Not only that, when the snake did go down, he didn't run away. He got his weapon back, and she was sure he had enough stamina to get away from them. She had to look after Mel right now, and couldn't pursue him.

Instead, Blu walked back to them, disarmed himself and promptly succumbed to his exhaustion. The parrot was pretty much defenseless, and he didn't really have a reason to trust them. After all, they did almost jump him before the serpent decided to crash the party. Looking back on things now, maybe the intervention wasn't a bad thing. This Blu Gunderson certainly won himself a second chance in her eyes.

"Let me check your wound." Melisa suddenly demanded, standing up from her resting position. Jewel wanted to protest the action, but the dark blue macaw placed a wing on her shoulder, stopping her. "Don't worry, I'm fine now. Just a bit winded."

"Why? You two were pretty adamant about jumping me before the snake butted in." Blu sarcastically remarked, raising his eye at the sudden demand. Honestly, he had no idea why he acted the way he did. It just didn't feel right to leave them, but technically he was still in danger, at their mercy.

"Perhaps we… judged too harshly." The unofficial medic answered, rubbing the back of her neck with her right wing sheepishly. "You could have run, but you didn't."

"As much as I hate to admit it, you saved my friend." Jewel stated with traces of annoyance in her voice. She hated being wrong, but she gave credit where credit was due. "I guess we owe you an apology." She added, inspecting the downed macaw's reaction.

"Okay, that means we are even now. So I should get going then, we probably wasted enough of each other's time." Blu said, uncertainty coating his tone. He didn't expect the apology, but accepted it nonetheless. Two apologetic scary women were certainly better than two scary angry women.

The dark blue female huffed at the response, walking over and placing a talon over Blu's shoulder, immobilizing the parrot. He yelped in surprise but the medic shut him off before he could continue. "Stop whining." Melisa quickly found the knot she made a day prior, and with a swift move from her beak, the vine let go.

"Hey! This could be classified as assault! I'm a tribe citizen and I know my rights!" Blu tried to protest against the woman's actions, but he was too tired to do anything and his rambling fell on deaf ears. For the first time ever, Jewel actually chuckled at the scene. This caused Blu to stop his rambling, but turned his head towards the light blue bird. "What's so funny?" He asked, annoyed by the situation.

"You ramble too much, you know that?" Jewel replied, an amused smirk on her face.

Blu rolled his eyes at the remark. "Oh ha ha. Very funny." He fake pouted like a child, but decided to stop talking before the woman would use it against him. Meanwhile, Melisa removed the leaf which was covering the wound, exposing it to fresh air. Blu shivered for a moment, as the cold air blew over the uncovered area.

"Huh. It is almost healed. At least I see no blood. Now that's a miracle." The medic concluded, seeing no irritation or blood around the wound. The disinfectant paste did its job perfectly it would seem. And this was after surviving a boa attack. The pain he was experiencing was probably just nerves firing from movement. From what she could see, Blu would be ready to fly anytime.

"Well, good news Blu. Looks like you can fly." She broke the good news, causing the blue macaw's eyes to widen. He moved his head to see the area himself, and Melisa retracted her foot, allowing the pinned down macaw to move freely.

"But it still hurts." Blu spoke up, although he was probably just speaking out loud. He was not out for more than two days, and according to Rodrigo he shouldn't be healed yet. The confused parrot looked back at the dark blue macaw with a questioning look. "What did you treat me with?"

"A disinfectant paste my mother taught me." She proudly replied, puffing out her chest, happy her work was acknowledged by someone.

Melisa walked backwards, arriving next to her friend. She decided to give the man his space. While she did that, Jewel's mind flared up once again, remembering the 'conversation' they had before the boa attacked. Sure, they were now even as far as debt was concerned, but the weather was still busy clearing up. This meant they would be stuck here for a few more hours, and she still wanted to know who exactly he was.

His lies about being in a tribe still concerned her, but a strange thought crossed her mind. It was but a small whisper, tugging at her mind with an idea that she didn't even dare to consider until now. But with all the strange and alien behavior, it might just be true.

Silence fell on the trio, and before it would become uncomfortable or awkward, Jewel decided to retry their previous conversation. Perhaps now that all of them released their pent up frustration it would go smoother. "Maybe we can start this over." She spoke up, grabbing both birds' attention. They figured out what she meant, and Blu gave her a silent nod in confirmation.

"Why do you think we are banished exactly?" She got straight to the point, remembering how Blu called them banished out of the blue. That would mean that he didn't know who they were. Only possible if he lived with another tribe, and that was simply preposterous… right?

Blu was silent, taken back by the question. It resurfaced his suspicion regarding the two women. Of course they were banished, how else would Spix's macaws end up in the barren lands? And if they were from the tribe then they would know who he was, wouldn't be hostile to the human items and wouldn't be here to begin with. No mission was sent out here to his knowledge. "Not to offend, but of course you two are banished." He exclaimed, and continued before the macaws could retort.

"I'm pretty sure my father would have given me a heads up if we ran into macaws this far east. The tribe is probably a week due west from here after all. So either you followed us, which I find unlikely, or you must be banished. The question is why?" He finished his explanation, watching the two macaws carefully. He mentally prepared for another possible outburst, but he raised his right eye when the women's mouths dropped.

Jewel was speechless. The response shocked the parrot to her core. Her mind exploded, millions of thoughts racing through it, all coming to a single conclusion. She desperately wanted to just spill word after word like an active volcano spills out magma, but nothing left her throat for several seconds. If someone didn't have context, they would think she was choking.

The reaction caused Blu's face to morph into concern, but before he could speak, the light blue macaw took a step back, but he couldn't figure out if it was due to fear, shock or maybe both. When Jewel finally managed to get her thoughts under control, she spoke, although hesitantly and barely avoided stuttering. "You are from… The west?" The statement brought Melisa up to speed, who in turn took a step back in shock just like her friend. Thankfully Jewel voiced what she wanted to ask, saving her from having to go through that stutter herself.

The reaction cemented Blu's theory. At least that was what he thought for now. He simply nodded his head in confirmation, not removing his eyes from the two women in front of him. Since neither of it was a lie, he was as calm as one could be in a situation like this, further proving them he was sincere. "Yes. My name is Blu Gunderson. Son of Casper Gunderson, the current leader of the Spix's macaw tribe."

Jewel's eyes widened at the statement. It made so much sense now. He was acting entitled because in his eyes, he was the member of the family in power. No matter how much she looked into those brown eyes, she couldn't find even a trace of lies in them, only the truth. She was devastated for a lack of a better word.

Her home was continuously destroyed by humans ever since she was young enough to remember. The one thing she was certain was the fact her tribe was the last safe haven for Spix's macaws, ever since the truly mighty tribe was halved centuries before. Now, this man stood before her, a living, breathing proof that there were MORE of them out there.

"Why are you two banished?" He spoke up, breaking Jewel out of her train of thought. It startled her for a moment, but she managed to regain her composure. Her world was still crashing down on her, causing the small smile on her beak to appear more forced than she wanted or intended it to be.

"We're not banished. Not from the tribe at least." Jewel answered, calming the nerves which were firing relentlessly. This realization gave her something she lacked ever since the human attack happened. It gave her hope. Hope that there was life beyond the barren lands, and when they made it through, others like them, no, long lost brothers and sisters would be there to welcome them. Blu on the other hand was not as relieved, because the cryptic answer might as well have just crushed his carefully formulated theory.

Melisa managed to recover herself, coming to the same realization as her longtime friend. She was well beyond excited by the prospect of meeting kin who were thought to be dead and gone long ago. She caught the male's confusion and continued Jewel's answer before the blue macaw could question it. "We are not banished from the tribe. In fact, the tribe is about a day from here, continuing flying north-west so we can reach the other side of the barren lands." Blu's eyes reflected a sudden turmoil of emotions when he understood what the woman said.

Jewel saw the change of expression, as Blu's face displayed confusion and later on shock. "My name is Jewel. Only daughter of Eduardo, the current leader of the Spix's macaw tribe." She properly introduced herself, watching the not long ago complete stranger's reaction carefully.

It was Blu's turn to experience his world slowly shatter as he pieced together the answers the two women gave him. Banishment was such a simple explanation, and Blu loved simple. But no, they just had to tell him things which implied the most important event of his people's history was wrong. But it made too much sense to disregard it, no matter how improbable it was. The name Eduardo didn't ring a bell at all for example. And it explained their complete lack of human trust as well as not having family names.

"You two… Are from the east?" He finally managed to force air through his syrinx. He saw for the first time the two womens' faces display genuine smiles as they realized he caught on. Jewel replied non verbally with a definitive nod of her head.

"And you are from the west." She added shortly after, just in case both parties got into the misunderstanding of the century. The answer solidified shock on the man's face. Yep, all three of them were definitely thinking the same thing now.

"We thought we were the only ones left. The rumor goes that when that thing happened, only half of us managed to get away." Melisa explained what was going through her mind, trying to piece together what might have truly happened back then. "There was no way to get beyond the fire, we thought everyone else died. So we flew the only way we could, to the east."

Blu understood, finally managing to regain his composure. The tale was remarkably similar it seemed. "Barely a hundred and fifty survived on our side. We though the exact same thing, that we were the last ones. Only difference it seems is that we were on the opposite side of the fire. The west side." He told them his own version of the tale, and it became apparent really quickly why neither of them searched for survivors.

* * *

**Three hours later**

The next three hours passed in a blink of an eye for the three blue macaws. Ever since they found out the truth, the trio was basically inseparable. They both had so many questions about each other's tribe, the parrots almost forgot to eat. Thankfully Jewel remembered this, and brought the brazil nuts to the center of the hollow.

They were sitting in a close circle, enjoying the much needed meal. The storm had finally passed, allowing the group to head out their separate ways. Of course, neither had any intention of leaving. Blu was fascinated by the stories the two women told him. He could barely believe their tribe had nearly a thousand birds. Just imagining that many blue macaws perching on some big cliff or tree made his head hurt.

Similarly, Jewel and Melisa listened to every little detail as the blue macaw explained how his own tribe worked. It took them a while to fully accept the whole living in human buildings concept, but after hearing his arguments, they admitted it did make sense. Still, erasing generations worth of instilled mistrust and fear couldn't be done in a few hours, and Blu knew this. He made sure not to push anything on the macaws, just pointed out it existed or worked a certain way.

"So… Now that we know the whole story. Care to tell us what was your mission about?" Jewel questioned, knowing full well she pushed her luck with that one. Blu was adamant on keeping his oath, and she could only respect him for that. She was a bit ashamed that she thought him a traitor at first, but since she didn't know the whole story, she excused her behavior.

He scratched his chin, pondering over how to answer it. He could see that they were dying to know, but an oath was an oath. However, knowing they were not banished criminals, he decided a vague but accurate description wouldn't hurt anyone. "There is something in our tribe that helps keep it alive so to speak. But it is decades old at this point." He paused for a moment, thinking if he should reveal his true talent. "Because I am one of the only ones who understands how it works, my father sent my team and me to get a new one."

"Problem is, it is in a human city on the other side of the jungle." Blu explained with a sigh, remembering the route they had to take. He wouldn't trade that mission for anything, but crossing the whole damn continent not once but twice was not on his fun things to do list.

"City?" Melisa questioned the alien word, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"Oh, right. Should have told you what that means, sorry." He apologized, forgetting they were nearly oblivious to humans as a whole. "Think a tribe, just for humans. And they make their own homes instead of using trees." The explanation was quick and on point. The two nodded in understanding.

Realizing they would probably question further, he took the liberty to continue his story. "I don't know how long now, less than a week perhaps?" He asked out loud, trying to remember the exact time of the events. He gave up a few seconds later, recognizing it was not important. "We got attacked by some crazy severe macaw, and I ended up injured as a result." Blu pointed at his side, where some of the dried paste still clung to his feathers. He's going to have to get rid of that the first chance he gets to have a bath.

A frown developed on his features, remembering the next part. Which was conflicting to say the least. For one, thanks to those macaws, he ended up separated from his team, making their job ten times harder. On the other hand, he still had trouble believing he found birds from another tribe. Just what were the odds of that happening? "Then, a tribe out of nowhere appeared and told us to leave, in the middle of a storm I might add." His voice carried venom as it deepened, accompanied by a low growl.

"Flying in a storm?! That is reckless." Melisa covered her beak with her wings in shock. Flying in a storm was equal to a death sentence in most cases. You could get hit by debris, get soaked and lose the ability to fly or sometimes even be the victim of lightning strikes.

"Yeah, but we had no choice. I was okay for maybe the first hour. Then…" Blu stopped mid sentence. He tried to recall the events, but still couldn't figure out what that thing was in the air. All he could conclude it was definitely man made. "Something knocked me out while in the air… Next thing I know I'm in the hollow with you two."

"So, your team is probably searching for you?" Jewel asked.

Blu shook his head. "No." This made the two women raise an eye. What kind of teammates would leave one of theirs behind? And why was he acting like it was totally fine? "The mission is too important for that. Hopefully they continued to go on, my tribe needs them to succeed." He looked outside, watching the clouds breaking up in the sky. "I'll find my way back someday."

"What about you two?" Blu directed the conversation on the two other occupants. He turned his head towards their direction, trying his best to hide his somber mood. What surprised him was that happiness was missing from their faces too. "You said your tribe was a few days away from here. That is still the barren lands."

"We are desperate." Melisa replied, looking down at the ground. The light blue parrot placed a wing on her shoulder in a comforting manner. Blu didn't understand what she meant with that, but seeing their gloomy mood he wanted to back off the topic. Before he could do anything though, Jewel spoke up.

"We are fleeing from _humans_." She clarified, trying hard to not growl the last word.

"Poachers?" Blu pieced two and two together, having a pretty good idea what humans might have done. After all, poachers were not uncommon near their territory either. It was one of the reasons he never actually saw a human before. Blu was forbidden to ever leave the confines of the tribe.

Jewel confirmed his assessment by sadly nodding. "Yes. Our tribe was on the run from humans for as long as we can remember." She delved further into their history, explaining that ever since Europeans arrived, they were prime targets. "They attacked our last home, tearing down our food source. With nothing left to eat, we were forced to leave. The other neighboring tribes moved away as well, which left us with no other way." The bright blue macaw told their current story, remembering how pissed her father was after he got back from the meeting.

"The tribe is currently going north-west. Where hopefully we can find a place to settle down again." Melisa added shortly after, recalling the direction where the tribe was heading.

Although Blu didn't know Jewel's father, he understood why his decision was to flee. It must have been a difficult choice, and no doubt he has to somehow keep up morale every single day. But that didn't explain why Jewel and Melisa was here all alone. Especially if Jewel was the tribe leader's daughter. "But, why are you two alone then?" He questioned their situation, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Well… We kind of have a mission of our own. When the tribe evacuated, not everyone made it out." Jewel pointed out, but didn't elaborate further.

Blu caught on, nodding his head in understanding. "And you two want to save them." He thought out loud, thinking that was the only logical reason. When your whole tribe is on the move and needs every bit of help it can get, sending as few birds as possible is always the right decision.

The blue macaws nodded their heads in confirmation. "We wanted to travel back to our old home, since that is where the trail starts." Jewel explained her plan, she didn't know why, but for some reason she thought she can trust him with it. "But Mel and I will have to head out soon. The more time we stay here, sitting on our butts, the more clues will be lost." The bright blue macaw stood up from her sitting position, thinking about going for a quick flight to ease her sore muscles.

Blu glanced outside, spotting the clear blue sky. The storm clouds have since moved on, and the blazing Sun resumed its work to evaporate the excess water from the jungle. Due to this, the humidity level began to rise, but that didn't bother him. Unlike humans, bird didn't use sweat to cool off, thus no reason to feel discomfort.

What it did mean however, was that it was the perfect time to head out and resume their mission. He looked back, watching Jewel and Melisa as they were no doubt getting ready to leave the hollow. The trio was surprisingly quiet, because they had to make a decision soon, but neither party was looking forward to it. Would they stay together, or part ways and finish what they started?

In the beginning, Blu was adamant about returning to his original assignment. Finding Team Lucifer and continuing their way to Rio de Janeiro. Problem was, he had absolutely no idea where he was right now. He didn't even know what day it was. The chances of him finding and catching up with them was basically nothing.

On the other hand, the two adults next to him were on a mission to free their tribesmen from human poachers. That was a dangerous endeavor, and he felt obliged to join them, at least until he could reliably find his way back to his team. He knew exactly how cages and other human objects operated, which would give them an edge.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, clearing his mind. The action did not go unnoticed by the female macaws next to him, who looked towards his direction. He made his choice. They were his species, probably many many times removed cousins even. Leaving them to face such a threat, he would never forgive himself if he found out something bad happened to them when he could have prevented it. Hell, he would probably help them even if they were can caninde macaws. Nobody deserved to rot in a metal cage for the rest of their lives if they were innocent.

Blu grabbed a fresh vine he cut not too long ago and swiftly tied it around his back and torso. Using his right talon, the macaw got a decent grip on the cold metal rod and lifted it, attaching it on his back a moment later. Now with the weapon semi secure on his form, he quickly tied a knot, making sure Blitzkrieg wouldn't fall off.

"Wow, where are you going?" Jewel asked, tilting her head to the side in a curious fashion. They could see he didn't want to attack them, so she felt no reason to tense up. But his body language clearly gave away his intention, he wanted to move.

"Finding my team is near impossible. And, considering I grew up around human stuff, I'm probably more versed when it comes to their objects." He turned around and looked Jewel in the eye, with a new found determination they were unfamiliar with. "We need to free your tribesmen."

"But we are still very much strangers to you. Besides, like you said, you helped save me, that makes us even." Melisa countered.

"We are strangers, true. I guess uh, we will just have to get to know each other on the way." He countered the argument in a nonchalant manner. "About the even part, that is just nonsense." He added shortly after. Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind which might just help their cohesion to settle, he thought it was worth a shot. "After all… Birds of blue feathers…" His voice trailed off, waiting patiently to see if they would recognize it.

The awaited realization indeed dawned on the two macaws. They smiled, remembering the all so famous quote. "Have to stick together." Jewel and Melisa finished in unison, and just like that, something clicked between the three of them. From this point onward, they were one team.

Blu just smiled in return. Without another word, the three macaws walked over to the entrance and spread their wings, leaping into the air to find Jewel and Melisa's old home and begin their new adventure.

* * *

…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…

* * *

**A bumpy start for our feathery friends, but what better way to sow the seeds of friendship than some good old life threatening danger.**


End file.
